This is a tribute to our beloved American racehorse, Barbaro.

Barabaro was a champion and won many races, including Kentcky Derby. But in one race, the 2006 Preakness stakes, he shattered his right rear leg. The American Thourobred was rushed to the New Bolton Center in the University of Pennsylvania. the next day he underwent surgery so that the leg was strong enough to walk on.

He was pretty active to have a shattered leg. He could walk around in his stall.

But a few weeks later, he developed laminitis in his left leg after having an abcess in the hoof. They had to remove 80% from his hoof! With both legs injured, he had a sling in his stall so he could keep his weight off his injuries for a while.

The next month, it was looking pretty good. His left leg was healing, and he was removed of the sling.

A few days later he was even allowed to graze a little! The next, he had radiographs which showed that his right leg was almost completly healed. In September, he was on the road to recovery, with his left foot growing a little. By November his cast was on the right leg was replaced with a bandage. His left leg still had a long way to go as long as healing went, but he was a lot better. By December, his bandage of the right leg was removed.

It might have been looking great, but in January it was bad again. They had to surgically remove some of the left hoof again, making them have to rebandage Barbaro’s right leg and put him in a sling, again!

As if it wasn’t bad enough, he developed an abcess in the right hoof, which required more surgery.

And believe it or not, things got worst. He developed more laminitis, this time in his front legs. Now, he couldn’t use any of his legs.

Poor Barbaro, he had to be put down because it was so bad. They didn’t want him in any pain any more. I respect them for that.

Remembering Barbaro

Barbaro is in the middle.