The Death of Barbaro, as Seen From a High Horse
January 30th, 2007 by Michael StephensA series of ailments - laminitis in the left rear hoof, an abscess in the right rear hoof, as well as new laminitis in both front feet - proved too much for the gallant Barbaro, who was euthanized this week eight months after his tragic Preakness breakdown.
According to the Associated Press, “the 2006 Kentucky Derby winner’s fight for survival was their fight, a symbol of strength, courage and comfort — and, more than anything else, a source of inspiration.”
Excuse us while we saddle up on our high horse for a moment.
Where was the outpouring of support for Mummify last year? Or Charismatic in 1999? Or any of the 240 fatalities on California horse tracks from 2003 to 2005? No one seemed to notice these deaths in the brutal sport of horse racing, because they didn’t involve a Triple Crown attempt.
This sport, if you choose to call it that, exists solely as a hobby for the ultra rich. It’s not humane and it never was. Go ahead and slurp down mint juleps and gamble until your heart’s content. God knows we love sports betting here at the Truth.
But cut the crap. Don’t act as if you care about Barbaro or any other horse’s well being unless you actually do. And you know you don’t.
The outpouring of support Barbaro received in his “brave fight” - how the media knows he was brave or even aware of what was happening when he was killed by a veterinarian is beyond me - would only make sense if a person were against horse racing altogether and felt genuine empathy for all injured animals.
This is a 1,000-pound animal being ridden by a jockey, whipped ferociously and being forced to run over 30 miles per hour. Equine experts claim that top thoroughbreds were born to run, which is probably the biggest crock of $h!t since Barry Bonds claimed he thought “The Cream” was flaxseed oil.
No animal was born to this fate. Colts love to gallop, sure. Freely. If you wish to appreciate horses, how about you go observe them in their natural environment? Head over to the farm. Feed them hay. Go for a light cantor through the fields if that makes you happy.
Or not. I’m no animal rights activist - If millionaires wish to breed the animals and show or race them for others to wager on, terrific. But don’t pretend this is anything else.
It’s just a really fast horse. Had he placed fifth, you’d never know who Barbaro was. There would have been no stories of him being put to sleep after “battling gallantly” to live. He’d have been destroyed, like thousands of others before him, with little fanfare. And had his owners not hoped to keep him alive in hopes he’d bring in millions from breeding, it probably would have happened within 24 hours.
The sincerity of the innocent, naive and loving children above is undeniable. They see Barbaro as a friend, like Mr. Ed or Black Beauty. But adults either see riches, or a means of pretending they care about a good cause.
Shame on those who pretend to care about the animals on display, those who treat them as anything more than the money makers they are, and those who hadn’t heard of Barbaro until he won the Kentucky Derby and now act as if one of their own relatives died.
May 24th, 2007 at 11:08 pm
Excuse me but Charismatic didn’t die when he broke down on the track. He in fact was winning the the final leg of the Triple Crown (he won the Derby and Preakness) when his leg broke. He’s still stands at stud in Japan.
Even if Barbaro came in 5th he would still be popular because, he was an undefeated colt who was a winner on turf and dirt. Very rare in the TB racing and the fact that Michael Matz trained him that made his special. Michael won his first Derby attempt and probably the Triple Crown if Barbaro didn’t break down. Barbaro also has an excellent pedigree and that alone would make him valueable as a stallion. Remember, even Secretariat didn’t win all his races and the ONLY undefeated Triple Crown horse is Seattle Slew.
What a mean spirited article and you should be ashamed of yourself.
May 25th, 2007 at 1:24 pm
It’s obvious that you don’t know much about the horse industry or horses in general.
We own Thoroughbreds (one off the track and the other never raced). These horses have an innate sense of competitiveness that goes beyond what other horses have. It’s sad what happens to any track horse, but these animals for the most part enjoy the work. If they don’t (I’ve meet some), they don’t win and therefor don’t race long.
The real cruelty is the hundreds of thousands of horses out there that are abused by other disciplines every day. Go in your average western barn and take a look at the equipment they use. Those horses are subjected to a life of torture. Race horses live a life of luxury better than 90% of the humans out there.
I don’t condone any mistreatment of animals, but to blindly lambaste an industry while missing a much larger problem is idiotic. Why don’t you discuss the over breeding of horses and their slaughter b/c they are not marketable and the horrors they see in their lives. It’s sad that some race horses die, however their are much larger evils in this world to tackle, too bad crusaders like yourself can’t seem to have the balls to go after a real problem. We’ve removed horses from bad situations and given them good lives, what have you done?
May 27th, 2007 at 3:02 pm
Animals bred to do a job (ie TB’s bred to run) ARE instinctively inclined to do this and can be quite competitive about it.
Just as a cutting horse will naturally cut animals in the fields, border collies will instinctivly herd other animals or people if no animals are available, TB’s love to run or perform some activity.
To say otherwise only shows your ignorance on animal behavior and breeding.
While some may not want to run (and are taken off the track) others do want to and it is not a crock of $h*t. Go ahead — if you think you can go for a wonderful, fun “cantor” (it is canter) in a field on a hotly bred TB, I am sure it would be quite entertaining to watch.
I agree that there are many horses who are put down and never even known and that is sad to me, too. I am not defending the industry, but I am stating that your article loses those who know animals through your lack of knowledge.
So please, don’t comment on TB nature or equine nature in general unless you work with them one on one.
To say that you can just throw them hay only shows you are clueless. Not all “colts” love to run.
I didn’t know Barbaro, but I do train horses. Each one is an individual and like us, has his or her own personality. I cannot comment on how “brave” he fought, but I do know first hand that a horses will to live is a strong one and they will fight death to the end.
This tragedy was unfortunately overblown by the media, but that is no reason to bash the very nature of the animals that do the job.
January 13th, 2008 at 7:55 pm
I had never heard of Barbaro until I read about his breakdown in the paper. How dare you tell me that my sorrow for this horse is fake!!! I understand that racehorses aren’t always treated very well, I myself have a horse just off the track that is scared of people. But you have no right to tell people that they don’t care for a horse!! Barbaro’s is an extremely sad story, and he fought right until the very end. He deserves to be remembered as one of the best. You should be ashamed, you are heartless, clueless, and I could go on, but I would run out of room. (get the point?)