Over the past couple of years we have developed the tradition of milking late on Triple Crown race nights so we can enjoy the excitement. Thus it was that two weeks ago we were cheering Barbaro on when he won the Derby, (mostly because I have admired Michael Matz since I was a horse-crazy kid and he was riding in the Olympics).
We were delighted when he won. However, tonight when the pre-race commentators began to sing his praises and chortle about how easily he would probably win the Preakness, I had the kids mute the sound on the television. Every farmer knows you don't brag and you don't take anything for granted. Ask a farmer with a barn full of hay, twin calves on every cow and a rainbow arching over his farm gate, how things are going and he will tell you, “Hmmm, not too bad I guess.”
It made me nervous hearing those city idiots predicting the race results before the horses were even saddled. However, nothing prepared us to see the horrible breakdown of that lovely horse. I will be very surprised if they don’t end up putting him down, although as I write this they are still exploring their options.
My heartfelt sympathy goes out to all the people who work with him. If you care for animals you have empathy for their pain; when they hurt, you hurt and you want to fix it right away. His people must be feeling terrible right now.
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8 comments:
I flashed back to the injury to Go for wand. What a sad thing to happen to such magnificent animals.
Hi Jan, It was so disturbing. I am getting to hate the way the press hound the people involved in the races. It is sick.
I didn't watch. Not sure why ... just had a feeling, y'know?
Boy I do know just what you mean Wil. I really did have a bad feeling too, when I made the kids turn the sound off. I am not normally superstitious at all, but there was just a hinky feel to all that premature jubulation. We felt sick about the accident. I used to work at the track when I was a kid, as a hot walker, and injuries like that are rarely survivable.
I've seen horses that survive broken legs but rarely will the people that race horses take the time to help a horse mend that can never race again...
It takes a lot of personal attention & care they just don't normally have.
More often than not, they are more concerned about the cost spent on a horse that will never race again.
Hopefully... if they truly love the animal... they will do what they can & donate the famouse horse to an equine retirement center where it can recover & still have a pleasant life.
Aidana
It is heartbreaking. My sympathy goes out to them too. I hope it turns out like the movie Seabiscuit with a recovery and a second chance.
Aidana, with a horse as valuable as Barbaro, no expense will be spared if there is any hope at all of saving him. He will certainly never race again, but his value at stud will be in the millions if they can keep him alive. Also his trainer is a great horseman who cares about the animals.
Barbara, thanks for stopping by. We are all hoping.
I just finished re-reading Nora Roberts' "True Betrayals", about horse racing. This very kind of accident was described in the novel, and there was a lot of discussion about thoroughbreds' fragile legs. What a tragic accident for such a magnificent horse.
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