I realize that I do not write for the Boston Globe or the New York Times, but really, I can write a better story than the one put out by Jeremy Plonk of Fox Sports. I posted yesterday about the tragedy of Barbaro and how I thought he should have been put down by his owners 8 months ago. Instead they made the decision to try and save his life. I can live with that even though I think it is horribly cruel, but now the sports writers are coming out of the woodworks to proclaim Barbaro a heavy weight fighter. Oh really!
Did Barbaro get to make this choice or did humans make it for him. If he were hurt in the wild he would have died already. He was kept alive by owners and vets who put him in slings, casts, and inserted steel pins. Barbaro had no choice in all of this. Was he really a "great" fighter, or just a guinea pig for vets? Barbaro was a beautiful horse who won the Kentucky Derby. Nothing more; nothing less. He does not deserve the accolades reserved for the firemen of 911, but yet some sports writers are ready to crown him as the King of Kings. I believe it is men who ride on horses' backs and not the other way around. Quit deifing this animal and get on with covering other legitimate sports stories.
i predicted today (and i hate making predictions) that there will be a national day of mourning when they grind his carcass up for dog food (or bury him, whichever they do with fancy horses these days), the govt. will take the day off, flags will fly at half mast, and the post office, bank, stock exchange and anything else we take for granted being open 5 days a week, will also be closed for business.
It's just guilt...plain guilt...he died for the sake of gambling and now everyone is feeling ####. They should have put him out of his misery 8 mos ago.....it's a damn shame.
Too much funny stuff. Crookdnose, that was just plain wrong...ha ha. Hey SoCal, you know the press loves to make a sob story whenever they can, it's the best kind.
I have posted on a couple blogs that I wasn't sure of the motives of the owners. They tried everything they could to save Barbaro. I wasn't sure if it was to save the horse for the purpose of saving him or saving him to make millions in stud fees.
By the admission of the vet who had taken care of him since last May, the first time Barbaro had a bad time, they would end it.
Barbaro had a bad night following the latest surgery and this morning Barbaro was humanely euthanized. (Not with a ####! as suggested on another blog!)
This proved to me the owners were true to their word and did not allow him to suffer. Some may say the mere fact they kept him alive for 8 months was prolonging suffering but I think they kept him medicated enough that he didn't feel much pain. The also kept him in his sling or pool to keep weight off his legs.
I was sorry to see him lose the battle but I will never call him a hero and I don't think we have to watch for anything on Thursday Crookd!!
The good thing is there has never been a horse to receive this amount of treatment or publicity. Both will benefit the horse racing industry which has been in a serious tailspin lately!
NBA fan, I don't hate him, but they way he is being portrayed bothers me.
Cuz, you might be right,
Mustard, if the motives of the owners were pure, they would have ended it a long time ago. Fact is, Barbaro was worth more as a stud than he ever would have made on the race track. They had alot invested in him. I also don't believe he was medicated for 8 months, or why not keep him medicated. That little song and dance that the moment he felt pain they would put him down is an outright lie. He felt pain on day one and they put him in surgery, pins in ankles, ICU stall. THe vet is on the payroll, don't forget that.
Baf, we agree on more than you think. PS, I do love the Babe too.
Lisa, I think you are on to something with the guilt. These people do love horses, but the money is so big.
Crook, is that three literal days, or 1 1/2?
Steelers, thanks for posting.
Last edited by socalsportsfan on January 29th at 8:28 PM.
SoCal, You're certainly a man of strong views and convictions. The decision to keep Barbaro alive was a curious one from the start, but stud fees were doubtful as the reason why.
The Jacksons of West Grove, Pa., who owned this horse, are descendants of the Rockefellers. Mr. Jackson's grandfather was William Goodsell Rockefeller, one-time treasurer of Standard Oil. The family has deep ties in the horse and oil business. Mr. Jackson claimed as long as the horse's pain was manageable, they'd give it a try. Barbaro had many good days, even after the initial surgery. But horses are animals of motion. And infection or laminitis always posed the biggest threat.
Who knows? Maybe Mrs. Jackson insisted on it. You know how persuasive wives can be. I believe they simply loved this horse. And did everything possible to save him.
He made $2.3 mil on the track, it went to the vets and probably more. They could afford it. It would have been nice to pass on those bloodlines. Maybe they froze some....Horses have personalities. And Barbaro showed courage in taking all that treatment. John Henry wouldn't have. And yes, JH was a fighter.
When Invasor hooked George Washington at the top of the stretch in the BC Classic, GW had the biggest look of surprise I've ever seen on a horse.
Call me a romantic. Love was the motivation behind keeping this horse alive.
P.S. - Check out the Beckham post at my site...click on my pic and see if it comes up. I can't seem to find my stuff anywhere else. thanks.
It's getting fun around here.
One of the first stories I remember was about whether or not Barbaro's leg would support putting him out to stud. Obviously it was in the back of the owners' minds. We just don't know how far back. I think we will know in a year whether or not they "milked" the situation to satisfaction.
However, I do think it's a legit news story since so many people were interested. People who never watch horse racing (like me) were interested in this story. I too think it's ridiculous to talk about the horse as some sort of hero.
But the effect his story had on the general population is undeniable (I don't mean life changing or anything, but I mean people paid attention).
So while I agree he's being deified far too much, I think they should cover it because people are interested.
