Barbaro Wonderings

Becca Banner · Post by **Becca Banner** » 17 years ago

If the best happens and Barbaro recovers enough for stud duty, would it be wise to send him to stud? His half brother, Holy Ground, got an career ending injury too. What are the chances the foals will have soundness issues? I don't know how this sort of thing works in horses so if someone could enlighten me, I'd appreciate it.

Mandy Saunders · Post by **Mandy Saunders** » 17 years ago

The majority of horses nowadays have soundness problems. <_<

Eric Nalbone · Post by **Eric Nalbone** » 17 years ago

Well, there's always concern about soundness, but if Barbaro recovers well enough to be physically capable of covering a mare, yes, its wise to send him to stud.

He's by Dynaformer, who tends to sire solid, sound horses, so I wouldn't expect many problems from Barbaro babies. We all hate to see a horse injured, but when you look at it from a different perspective, it seems completely reasonable. All athletes operating at a high level are injury prone. From a human standpoint, is a stock broker or a basketball player more likely to sustain an injury? Clearly, the basketball player. Perhaps horses aren't "more unsound" these days, they're just operating closer to their absolute peak performance these days. Anyway, Polytrack is helping injury issues, and it seems to be the direction that racing is moving, so I wouldn't anticipate many problems in terms of Barbaro at stud.

Martin Pennington · Post by **Martin Pennington** » 17 years ago

How will everyone feel if at the end of the the next few months/weeks Barbaro has to be put down due to the ill health he's suffered as a result of his injury in the Preakness?

IsaP · Post by **IsaP** » 17 years ago

Why? He's coming right along, and CNN even posted him as stable, not critical. There's no point in dwelling upon a negative event until after it has happened and only then for a short period of time. Would I be upset? I suppose I would. I was at work when I saw it happen, and I felt my heart break inside. I kept praying "Not Barbaro. Please not him."

Until someone tells me he's gone, cold and in the ground, I refuse the entertain for one moment that he may not make it. Negative thoughts only bring about negative results.

Martin Pennington · Post by **Martin Pennington** » 17 years ago

Just a question, as it's been posed on many other racing forums about how people would feel if Barbaro had been kept alive for 9 months or so and then it was all for nothing. He's not been galloping around a field like most horses do etc. he's been couped up in a stable with various veterinary surgeons operating on him every now and then.

Not neccessarily my opinion just a different view point being offered. Though I would be seriously worried if he were critical after having 9 months of veterinary treatment. I can't see him being able to breed ever.

IsaP · Post by **IsaP** » 17 years ago

The thing is, it might not be all for nothing. Just because he's not galloping YET doesn't mean that he may not eventually. Gotta look at the big picture.

By the way.. I've known several horses not to be galloping around the field their whole lives. Not every horse benefits from a turn out.

Martin Pennington · Post by **Martin Pennington** » 17 years ago

Equally i'm sure you and others have known several horses who've suffered similar injuries to Barbaro and been put down on the spot.

I don't want to sound negative but if he's kept alive for 18 months and is then put to sleep do you not think he's gone through a hell of a lot of suffering for nothing?

I also know of a few horses not galloping around the field their whole lives, a mare I used to look after at work had 18 months of box rest with a badly damaged tendon.

IsaP · Post by **IsaP** » 17 years ago

Martin.. stop thinking about it until it happens. There's a reason he hasn't been put down yet.. HE has made the decision from the start. Veterinarians do NOT get sentimental when it comes to the treatment of animals. They try to keep their heart out of the equation when it comes to treatment, and if he was ready to give up, believe me, they would have put him down. But if he was ready to give up, nothing they could have done medically would have saved his life.

I really hope that if you're ever seriously ill, no one has this conversation about you.

Like I said before.. negative thoughts bring about negative results. Don't give up on Barbaro. He hasn't yet.

Laura Ferguson · Post by **Laura Ferguson** » 17 years ago

Wow. I'm with you, Isa. I find this line of speculation unproductive, negative and frankly, offensive. Look, granted Barbaro's had his bad times, and I'm not making light of them, but on the other hand, he's been able to graze outside, he's been described for weeks on end as "bright and happy" with an appetite, he's visited daily by the people who love him, and whom he loves. How can that, regardless of what goes on from here on out, be considered "all for nothing?"

Martin Pennington · Post by **Martin Pennington** » 17 years ago

Edited. Below is something more positive seen as this is what people seemingly want from this topic (apologies Becca for hi-jacking it somewhat).

Please don't get me wrong, I do want Barbaro to survive and go on and live out his days either as a stud somewhere in Kentucky (hopefully) or at a regular stables or horse park similar to where Cigar and Da Hoss are. I just feel that there are negative things that can happen and may well happen.

Barbaro however has already helped equine science and for that he and the Jacksons, vets etc should be saluted.

FWIW I doubt that either you nor I will ever thankfully be in the situation that you describe Isa.

IsaP · Post by **IsaP** » 17 years ago

The best way to keep the negative away is think positive. Self-fulfilling prophecies may seem like 'facing reality'.. in reality what they're doing is drawing negativity...

That's one of the reasons I get horrendously bent out of shape when I hear it can't be done.

Brianna McKenzie · Post by **Brianna McKenzie** » 17 years ago

It is always wise ($!) to stand a Derby winner at stud. The mares owner is the one who must take soundness into consideration when breeding their mare.

Angela Dee Cochran · Post by **Angela Dee Cochran** » 17 years ago

I believe hes gunna do just fine, hes already shown how much heart he has and how much he wants to make it and hes got owners who can support him for as long as he can fight, so why not? I hope he gets to go to stud, and I hope he passes on that heart too.

"sending positive thoughts!" B)

Rebecca Rose Hepburn · Post by **Rebecca Rose Hepburn** » 17 years ago

Personally I do wonder how good an idea it is to send him to stud; not because of possible unsound babies, but because of his own soundness issue. Have you all seen what that leg looks like now? There's a video of him walking on it that breaks my heart. And we're going to have him rear up on that leg to cover mares?