Barbaro: Changing the Horse Race Forever
A race horse is a big and powerful animal, and yet just a single misstep can cause a broken leg and disaster. And that is what happened that day to Barbaro, the winner of the Kentucky Derby and the odds on favorite too win the Preakness that day and to go on too win the Belmont and become one of the few in history to be crowned a Triple Crown Winner. When he stepped wrong and broke his leg, I thought instantly of another time and another horse,
The time was July 7, 1975 and the horse was Ruffian. She won the Filly Triple Crown and was in a two horse match rase against Foolish Pleasure, the Kentucky derby winner. It was a special day at Belmont Park match races are few and far between and only arranged between special horses. It took longer for it to happen to Ruffian. They were a mile into the race when she broke her leg. Unlike Barbaro, who broke down before he could hit full stride, she was going full out and was much harder to stop.
Today as then most horses with this type of injury are put down right at the track Fixing a horse’s broken leg is one of the most difficult procedures to perform But Ruffian and Barbaro had one special thing going for both of them Owners who were willing to try anything to help their animals. They could have taken the easy way, had the horses put down and collected insurance and be done with it. Lets face it, a lot of the owners might not have the resources to do it. It does not come cheap, but theses two were able to and they did.
In Ruffian’s case, they tried everything that veterinary medicine of 30 years ago could do. Unfortunately it was not enough. Ruffian was scared when she came out of the anesthesia and thrashed about, broke the cast and at the same time broke her other leg. Ruffian is the only horse buried at Belmont. She is buried in the infield with her nose pointing toward the finish line.
Today however there have been changes. Barbaro has gotten the best modern veterinary medicine has to offer and he has a chance to make it. Fear played a part in Ruffians out come. She was just plain scared. Today there is a new method. After the surgery, Barbaro was put into a pool of water and allowed to wake up there. The water makes it less likely that the horse will be able to thrash about in injure itself when waking up. The resistance in water is different that in air, Just like the resistance you fell when you try to walk in a swimming pool. When Barbaro woke up, he calmly trotted to his stall. His calm attitude is making a difference in his recovery.
It has not all been smooth for Barbaro. He has had to have another surgery to remove most of his other hide hoof due to infection, This alone can be fatal, but the latest is he chances are improving once gain. It will be many months before the outcome is known, but if Barbaro beats the odds and recovers, it will influence the decision on putting down a horse right away. Barbaro can prove that the impossible can be done, if you take the chance. And maybe change the future for other horses facing the same problems. Ruffian would be pleased.
