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'm not talking about the Indianapolis Colts, but rather the Kentucky Derby Winner of 2006. Barbaro had to have surgery again. This does not surprise me at all considering that many years ago horses were spared the agony of leg injuries by being “put” down by their owners. Horses stand almost 24 hours a day seven days a week. A severe leg injury is almost impossible to recover from and this is why in the old westerns the cowboys pulled out their Winchesters from the rifle sling and as the camera panned away you heard one single gunshot. It was tough to do, but necessary.
Now as a pet owner and a horse lover, I can understand why they want to save this magnificent animal. Barbaro is a beautiful horse and he has tremendous value on the stud market if he can survive this ailment and live the grand life of a horse gigolo. Unfortunately, sometimes the humane thing to do is to just shoot the horse and get on with life. My gut is telling me the owners have too much invested in this horse and his survival maybe key to theirs. Either way, is this still newsworthy? Looking at his ankle x-ray on the left you can see just how devasting his injuries were and yet the owners and vets keep trying to save him. Unlike with humans on life support, this decision is a bit harder because the vets will have to put the animal to sleep for good. It is not as simple as pulling the plug on a machine, but I think it is time. I say let Barbaro compete in that great race track in the sky. It’s time for him to test his skills against Secretariet, Seattle Slew, and a host of other famous equines.
I'm not talking about the Indianapolis Colts, but rather the Kentucky Derby Winner of 2006. 
Now as a pet owner and a horse lover, I can understand why they want to save this magnificent animal. Barbaro is a beautiful horse and he has tremendous value on the stud market if he can survive this ailment and live the grand life of a horse gigolo. Unfortunately, sometimes the humane thing to do is to just shoot the horse and get on with life. My gut is telling me the owners have too much invested in this horse and his survival maybe key to theirs. Either way, is this still newsworthy? Looking at his ankle x-ray on the left you can see just how devasting his injuries were and yet the owners and vets keep trying to save him. Unlike with humans on life support, this decision is a bit harder because the vets will have to put the animal to sleep for good. It is not as simple as pulling the plug on a machine, but I think it is time. I say let Barbaro compete in that great race track in the sky. It’s time for him to test his skills against Secretariet, Seattle Slew, and a host of other famous equines.
