Barbaro

I have been following the story of Barbaro since early in the 2006 Derby trail. He was unique - his trainer, Michael Matz, was new to me as a Thoroughbred trainer but was familiar given his equestrian background, his training methods weren't as common as the more standard methods of training thoroughbreds and the path he had brought this horse was simply different. The story of his heroism, saving three young children after a plane crash, was mentioned several times by the media also added to allure. It was a neat spin on the Kentucky Derby trail.

When his horse won with ease, the chatter began of a great horse so the Preakness was a well-anticipated race. When Barbaro broke through the gate before the race started, it all seemed surreal. What happened shortly thereafter was simply unbelievable. I watched as that rear leg flailed awkwardly and from the comfort of my seat, I had assumed the worse and that the horse would be destroyed within the hour.

The story of his struggle, the commitment of his connections and the pride of the veterinarian hospital were inspirational. The Jackson's would have spent a tremendous amount of money to ensure the quality of care that horse received over the past several months. When I saw a video on-line a few weeks ago as Dr. Richardson (the lead vet) walked the horse without bandages on his broken leg (his left hoof was encased), I have to admit, I was horrified. While I expected to see an awkward gait on the horse, I wasn't ready to see what I saw. While the Jacksons' money save the horse, their investment could never be repaid in stud fees. With a frail leg like Barbaro's, his stud career would have been exceptionally limited due to the physical constraints of his disability. It became blatantly obvious that the struggle to keep this horse alive was to honour the horse's will to live and no expectation of any financial gain.

I was very sad to read that Barbaro was euthanized earlier this week. The subsequent attention by the media has been interesting - as while I followed the story, he was simply a horse. The world does have many other tragedies. Nevertheless, he was beautiful horse that showed an incredible amount of courage. I respect the Jackson's decision but will remain in awe of their eight month effort to give the horse a chance.