Barbaro Update
 

Still a long way to go...but encouraging news:

http://news.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=34670

Atta boy, Barbaro. I hope he does indeed have a long, comfortable life after all of this!

They say he is the smartest horse they have ever seen, so it is months before he is in the clear, but so far so good. I think laminitis in the other three feet in now the main concern.

Well laminitis in the either of the front two legs will be disaster.

He couldn't survive that. I believe Richardson said they would pack it in if there are any more setbacks.

Let's just not go there.

*Starting the "I don't want to hear this" music in my head*

I think he will make it. He is smart enough to put himself in and out of a sling then he lets them know when he wants to go back in. That in itself is amazing. This Richardson guy is pretty amazing. The horse seems to feed off his confidence.

When they first operated on him, he came down off the pain killers and was gentle like he understood they meant him no harm. He did not panic and thrash about, I knew he had a chance. He is an amazing patient. To me, this makes the horse that much more of an icon. Some of this behavior has to be credited to his trainer, Matz. The concerned equisterian(sp?) crowd are very much into behavior and trying to figure out a horse's needs. Very observant group on the whole. I give them a lot of credit. Very different than the racing horsemen. Lots of women in this group who are very much an empathetic bunch. My wife is among this group who really know horses.

I think my wife looks at horses as sort of these noble, very physically strong humans that can be figured out and controlled. Unlike her human husband. Sorry for any sexist comments but this is kind of how I see it.

Long way to go still for Barbaro... but this is one horse dare I say... I think I could root for his babies.

he is truly one in a million.

YAY, keep it goin BOBBY ...you cam do it... have fun each day

Actually, I laughed reading that, pgardn-- I often say that I think the reason more women than men seem to love riding horses is because we females are already very accustomed to getting someone much bigger and stronger than we are to do what we want him to. ;)

My "vent" post yesterday was about an article on Salon.com about Barbaro that seemed to have been written by someone who knows nothing about racing. I was really upset by it, but a lot of my upset may be that I know how long the odds still are for him, and I desperately want him to make it.

Euro,
I read the article again. Where did it say that laminitis is going to the front legs?

I don't think he meant it has gone to the front legs; just that IF it does it would be disasterous. (Disastrous? Either way, something we don't want to see happen...)

I think my wife looks at horses as sort of these noble, very physically strong humans that can be figured out and controlled. Unlike her human husband. Sorry for any sexist comments but this is kind of how I see it.[/quote]


HA HA! I actually laughed out loud at this.

And we should give credit to Matz and Barbaro's entire team of grooms, etc... that have made him the horse he is. So trusting of humans to take care of him. That isn't born in a horse. They are good people in my book.

hang in there and fight barbaro!

Buffy's right on with her statements on Matz.

Matz is a big part of it but the real credit goes to John Stephens and his wife Jill. Nobody really knows who they are but they were the ones that had him in Florida.

They are part of the "Barbaro team". I would include anyone who had a hand in raising this horse. They really did an amazing job with him.

They have a great setup just outside Ocala. I am hoping to get down there this September when they get the new batch of young horses in.

Do they let visitors in? My mom lives in Ocala. I am going up there in November.