And so, yesterday morning, the decision was made to euthanize Barbaro.
It came 254 days after the 3-year-old thoroughbred colt shattered
several bones in his right hind leg about 200 yards out from the
starting gate in the Preakness. And 268 days after Barbaro had rocketed
into the public consciousness with a stirring, runaway victory in the
Kentucky Derby. His win by 6½ lengths was the largest margin since 1946.
“We just reached a
point where it was going to be difficult for him to go on without pain,”
said Roy Jackson, who co-owned the colt with his wife, Gretchen. “It was
the right decision. It was the right thing to do.”
The Jacksons were with
Barbaro yesterday morning at New Bolton – as they had been most days
since the injury – and made the decision in consultation with
Richardson, whose work was credited with allowing Barbaro to survive the
past eight months.
The decision to
euthanize came after a series of complications during Barbaro's recovery
from injuries sustained in the Preakness. The injuries initially
required five hours of surgery to fuse and repair fractures in three
areas of the colt's right hind leg. There had been setbacks early in the
summer and again last fall. The most serious setback was laminitis, a
potentially fatal infection, of the left rear hoof due to unequal weight
distribution by the horse while favoring the injured right leg. However,
through Richardson's skill and expertise and New Bolton's
state-of-the-art facility, Barbaro's progress was such that in late
December and early January there was talk of his leaving the equine
hospital for farm residence.
Barbaro recently
developed a deep bruise in his right hind foot, however, and, Saturday
night, Richardson performed the last in a series of surgeries, inserting
pins in the right hind leg that connected to an apparatus to take
weight-bearing pressure off that appendage. At yesterday's
teleconference, Richardson said Barbaro had developed laminitis in both
front feet as well.
Richardson, who had
shown forthrightness and remarkable emotional restraint in reporting on
Barbaro's condition many times in the past eight months, nearly broke
down when asked to describe the final procedure.
Barbaro was in a
weight-supporting sling, “comfortable, and alert,” Richardson said, when
administered a heavy dose of tranquilizer and then an “overdose” of
anaesthetic.
“It couldn't have been
any more peaceful than it was,” Richardson said. “I feel we bought eight
or nine months of time, the vast majority of which he was a happy
horse.”
“The scenarios that
developed we were all taught about in veterinary school, but we were all
impressed at the way they seemed to be overcoming all obstacles. This
(outcome) is disappointing for everybody, but people in the veterinary
profession feel Dr. Richardson's efforts have moved us up as far as
public awareness and understanding of what we can and are willing to do
to care for and save these animals.”
Said Joe Harper,
president, CEO and general manager of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club: “I
was trying to remember whether I had ever seen a horse fight that hard
to survive, and I don't think I ever had. You had this incredible trio.
The horse did everything right after he was injured – and a lot of them
don't – to keep from further harming himself. The Jacksons treated
Barbaro like a member of the family and did everything they could. And
Dr. Richardson, too.
“Barbaro showed a lot
of heart. He was a fighter on the track and for months and months after
he was injured. All of us in the business were rooting as hard as we
could for him.”
The New Bolton Center
was flooded with bouquets, equine treats, letters and e-mails
immediately following Barbaro's injury. The interest waned little over
the ensuing months and donations to the Barbaro Fund for the center
reportedly topped $1.2 million.
At yesterday's news
conference, Richardson was asked a question he had heard several times
before. What was the appeal of Barbaro?
“He was loved because
everybody knew he was a great athlete,” Richardson said, “and people
love greatness.”
Courtesy The San Diego
Chronicle
