Posted on 05/29/2006 4:17:11 AM PDT by beyond the sea
(snip) KENNETT SQUARE, Pa. - Barbaro is enjoying a quiet Memorial Day weekend, good news for the Kentucky Derby winner who is a week removed from surgery for a life-threatening injury.
"Barbaro is doing very well and seems perfectly content spending his holiday weekend at New Bolton Center receiving abundant carrots, apples and veterinary attention," said Corinne Sweeney, executive director at the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Well, heh heh, looks like I might've been a little wrong in my post #209 about Barbaro not watching the soaps, lol.
~~~~~
Barbaro update: Just a rainy day watching TV
Saturday, June 3, 2006
Associated Press
A quick look at Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro and how he's progressing from lifesaving surgery at the New Bolton Center in Kennett Square, Pa.:
MEDICAL UPDATE: Doctors remain pleased with Barbaro's condition and no major changes have been noted.
HIS DAY: A doctor visited him on Saturday morning and he is being monitored closely in the intensive care unit.
QUOTE: "It's a rainy day -- he's just hanging out watching TV," joked Gail Luciani, spokeswoman for the University of Pennsylvania's veterinary school. ..."
~~~~
Why not a horse? Or Four Singing Horses?
Sad news from the UK:
http://www.940news.com/nouvelles.php?cat=20&id=60367
Horatio Nelson euthanized; Sir Percy wins English Derby at 19:40 on June 3, 2006, EST.
EPSOM, England (AP) - Two weeks after Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro shattered his right hind leg at the start of the Preakness, another top horse was euthanized after breaking his front left leg in the English Derby.
With Queen Elizabeth II looking on in the crowd of 100,000 fans, Horatio Nelson was pulled up 600 yards from the finish by jockey Kieren Fallon in the race that Sir Percy won in one of the closest finishes in the 227-year history of the race.
Chasing his fourth Derby win in eight years, Fallon had been worried about the before the field of 18 went into the stalls. Although there appeared to be no problems during the first mile, Fallon pulled up Horatio Nelson and dismounted.
"Horatio Nelson was examined at the start of the Derby by one of the racecourse veterinary surgeons who consulted Aidan O'Brien, who was present at the start," said Paul Struthers, spokesman for the Horseracing Regulatory Authority.
"The veterinary surgeon and the trainer agreed that they were satisfied that Horatio Nelson was fit to compete.
"Following the race the horse was taken to the veterinary treatment centre and several X-rays were taken of the injured leg. They revealed that Horatio Nelson had suffered fractures of the cannon and sesamoid bones and a dislocation of the fetlock joint. Sadly the injuries were considered to be too severe to be repaired and the horse has therefore been euthanized."
That's a shame. Sounds like the jockey felt some irregularity before the start. But what can you do? If you can't find anything definite, and you scratch him from an important race, that isn't good either.
So true. The extraordinary measures they've taken with Barbaro can't happen with every horse, obviously. I just wish those little bones -- on all of them -- weren't so fragile and at the same time, so crucial to their very lives. It's just sad.
Posted on Sun, Jun. 04, 2006
RACING NOTEBOOK
Fans continue to offer support for Barbaro
DERBY WINNER RECEIVES GET-WELL CARDS, E-MAILS
By Maryjean Wall
HERALD-LEADER RACING WRITER
Barbaro won't go short on reading material during his convalescence from his broken leg.
Churchill Downs sent 12 horse-sized get-well cards this past week, each card 6-by-4 feet. Thousands of fans signed the cards at the track.
And there was more. Barbaro got a complete care package from Churchill that also included a large feed tub full of horse toys and treats, intended for himself and other horse patients at University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center.
Included for Barbaro's personal use in the care package was a personalized "Kentucky Derby 132" horse blanket, signed with get-well wishes from the Churchill Downs staff.
He also received a Kentucky Derby scrapbook filled with news stories about his winning race in Derby 132 May 6. Churchill Downs forwarded a stack of e-mail messages sent to him care of the track.
Barbaro couldn't be doing better in his recovery from the surgery to repair the fracture, according to the New Bolton Web site.
Here's a little reading material for a child about horses.
"The Horse in Harry's Room"
****
Glad to hear that everything is going well for Barbaro ......... so far. Thanks for the update.
The way grass-eaters have adapted established a real systemic problem: a bulky body to contain all of those necessary loops and loops of gut to digest rough grass, and relatively fragile legs to run fast and far from predators. The two don't really mix very well.
I am very encouraged by his recovery so far
Here are answers to a couple more questions we had been asking amongst ourselves:
~~~~~
[From the updates pages]
2. How do you keep water from entering the cast while a horse is awakening from anesthesia?
The horse is not actually "in" water; he is inside a rubber raft. His legs are placed into extensions that are at the bottom of the raft like waders fishermen use. In addition to being protected inside these leg holes in the rubber raft, the injured leg is wrapped in a thick plastic bag (like a shower curtain), the air is removed from around it, and then the bag is sealed to the leg with duct tape. So, he actually is completely protected from the water.
....
New Bolton Center has received many inquiries about the importance of a stallions hind leg in the reproduction process. To register offspring from Thoroughbred stallions, all breeding must be done by natural service, said Sue McDonnell, of the Equine Behavior Laboratory. This means that artificial insemination and assisted reproductive techniques are not allowed. McDonnell explained that mares must be mounted, which is a fairly athletic activity, requiring good hind-limb strength and agility. The stallion needs to be relatively fit and free from discomfort; therefore, after an injury heals, the stallion needs to re-build his cardiovascular and musculoskeletal fitness to the fullest extent possible.
In a case such as Barbaros, his medical team would plan and monitor physical therapy with breeding in mind, she said. Amazing things have been done to accommodate disabled breeding stallions, from custom-built breeding ramps to supportive splints or casts, to medications that reduce the amount of effort required. But in most cases, simple old-fashioned careful attention to detail, such as highly skilled stallion and mare handlers who can allow the stallion to compensate for his limitations, good athletic surfaces, and a breeding schedule customized to the stallions fitness and fertility, can help sports injured stallions enjoy remarkably normal and successful breeding careers.
Veterinary reproduction and behavior have made great strides in recent years, and New Bolton Center has been a leader in developing methods of assisting aging and disabled stallions to breed.
~~~~
>>>Today they said he was munching on some "phenomenally large" carrots someone sent as a gift, lol.
"Each carrot was almost equivalent to that small bag you buy in the grocery store," said Dr. Corinne Sweeney, executive director of the hospital.
All the horsey types at church Sunday were discussing Barbaro and his recovery.
Wonder if anybody's sent a Mass card yet? < g >
Today they said he was munching on some "phenomenally large" carrots someone sent as a gift, lol.
"Each carrot was almost equivalent to that small bag you buy in the grocery store," said Dr. Corinne Sweeney, executive director of the hospital.
I love that. Thanks for the ping.
Besides your church friends, some "fellow athletes" also have Barbaro's health on their minds ... check today's update:
~~~~~
Barbaro continues to improve; fellow athletes support equine recovery pool
June 5, 2006
KENNETT SQUARE, PA Veterinarians at the George D. Widener Hospital for Large Animals continue to be pleased with Barbaros condition, which improves daily. The Kentucky Derby winner is recovering from a shattered hind leg sustained at the Preakness on May 20 . He spent a restful weekend and is doing well, said Chief of Surgery Dean W. Richardson.
Barbaro remains in intensive care at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicines New Bolton Center.
Concern and support for Barbaro continues to pour in, often from unexpected sources. After seeing a photo of Barbaro lowered in our special equine recovery pool last month, the Notre Dame Masters Swim teamin support of a fellow athletemade a donation for maintenance of the pool.
Horses waking from general anesthesia in an unfamiliar environment will opt for a flight response. When Ruffian shattered her leg in 1975, veterinary orthopedic surgeons worked to repair it. However, when the filly awoke from anesthesia, she thrashed about wildly, causing severe damage to the original break and fracturing the opposite leg.
Dr. Jacques Jenny, considered the father of large-animal orthopedic surgery, envisioned a system where horses could emerge from anesthesia without injury. To that end, the operating room at the George D. Widener Hospital is equipped with a monorail that runs from the OR to the recovery pool. Our pool-recovery system allows the disoriented animal to waken suspended in a specially engineered harness and rubber raft, allowing him to gallop or flail in the warm water until fully conscious, significantly reducing the risk of re-injuring the damaged limb. Once awake, the horse is hoisted from the raft and moved to the recovery stall where he can stand at once.
The recovery pool is located in the C. Mahlon Kline building at New Bolton Center. Named in memory of C. Mahlon Kline, the building was erected in 1975 through the generosity of his family and the C. Mahlon Kline Foundation.
~~~~
>>>>I was so glad to learn a few days ago about the "legs" in the raft, since we couldn't really see them in the photos. That makes much more sense.
I couldn't figure out Barbaro lying down in that raft, like on his side. He wasn't; he was suspended in a standing position, with his legs in those rubber "waders" that are wells built into it.
So cool about the swimmers!
YW - I loved that, too. Bet they came from an ag school experimental farm somewhere - or maybe from the Miracle-Gro people, lol. Or maybe just a farmer who raises champion size veggies. Very cool.
Posted: 6/6/2006 12:13:55 PM
Fans can sign 'world's largest' get-well card to Barbaro on Belmont day
Fans attending the $1-million Belmont Stakes (G1) on Saturday at Belmont Park will have a chance to sign what is believed to be the world's largest get-well-soon card for injured Kentucky Derby (G1) Barbaro.
The card is 62 feet wide and seven feet high and features four life-sized images of Barbaro, who is recovering from surgery at the George D. Widener Hospital for Large Animals at the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, to repair multiple fractures in his right hind leg sustained during the Preakness Stakes (G1) on May 20.
The card will be on display and open for signing all day on June 10 at Belmont's grandstand colonnade. Edgar Prado, Barbaro's regular jockey, will make the ceremonial first signature at 10 a.m. EDT.
The signed card will be presented to Barbaro and his owners, Roy and Gretchen Jackson, at New Bolton Center.
Fans can also make a donation, with all proceeds benefiting the Barbaro Fund, which supports the Widener Hospital, and the NTRA Charities Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund.
"We are proud to offer our Belmont Stakes day patrons the opportunity to express their good wishes to Barbaro and, at the same time, raise money for two important charities," said Bill Nader, senior vice president of the New York Racing Association. "Everyone here at Belmont would prefer to see Barbaro out on the racetrack, competing for the third jewel in the Triple Crown. We are extremely grateful, however, for the outstanding care he has received from his connections and everyone at Pimlico [Race Course] and the New Bolton Center since his injury, and we look forward to saluting him during the 138th Belmont Stakes."
~~~~~
>>>>Also, a couple of new stories that are interesting; the first about the groom at the Preakness who grabbed Barbaro as Prado was pulling him up and the 2nd by a horseperson who is marveling about how much attention Barbaro's injury has brought to the various aspects of racehorses' lives, with the public outpouring of compassion and curiosity.
My favorite line: "Other sports hold more popularity than racing, but nobody ever stood on an overpass to wish a linebacker good luck in his surgery."
Links:
http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/todaysnews/newsview.asp?recno=64284&subsec=1
http://opinions.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=33880
Pennsylvania Governor to Visit Barbaro Thursday
Gov. Ed Rendell will visit the colt around 10 a.m. Thursday.
MEDICAL UPDATE: Doctors remain pleased with Barbaro's progress.
HIS DAY: Barbaro continued his daily routine of resting, occasionally being scratched and receiving visits from doctors.
QUOTE: "He's happy to have people come to visit him. He's happy to have some attention," said Gail Luciani, spokeswoman for the University of Pennsylvania's veterinary school.
~~~~~
Barbaro to be Featured in Belmont Telecast
by Esther Marr
Last Updated: 6/7/2006 3:42:19 PM
Coverage of the Belmont Stakes on ESPN networks and ABC Sports June 8-10 will include more footage than ever before of the details surrounding a horse that will not be present for the third leg of the Triple Crown.
Barbaro, winner of the May 6 Kentucky Derby, who was seriously injured during the running of the May 20 Preakness Stakes, has been a top news subject ever since.
"Barbaro is still the biggest story right now--the public is hungry to hear about that," said Dave Miller, coordinating producer of ESPN/ABC during a Belmont related conference call June 7.
The Belmont returns to ABC for the first time since 2000, and its two-hour coverage is longer than any previous Triple Crown race featured on a major network.
Details of the Barbaro's surgery, recovery updates, and medical advancements from which he has benefited will be discussed during segments of ESPN's eight-hour coverage over the three-day period. ABC will focus on the colt at the beginning of its segment, which will air from 5 to 7 p.m. on Belmont Day June 10.
...
"What we've seen over the last few weeks with the interest in Barbaro shows true commitment to the sport of horse racing," said retired Hall of Famer jockey Jerry Bailey, who will serve as an analyst during the networks' coverage.
~~~~~
>>>B's a rock star!
A little horse talk the past few days (posts above) ...
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Barbaro gets visitor bearing gift for New Bolton Center
Kentucky Derby hero BARBARO continued on the road to recovery Thursday, pleasing veterinarians at the George D. Widener Hospital for Large Animals with his progress.
The dark bay sophomore was feeling frisky and even showing interest in some mares who were also at the hospital, his medical team reported.
...
Barbaro received a special visitor on Thursday, with Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell stopping by to give the colt his well wishes.
"I visited Barbaro today, and I can tell you he is in the best hands here," Rendell said. "The New Bolton Center provides round-the-clock care and world-class facilities."
Rendell also brought a gift for the New Bolton Center's George D. Widener Hospital for Large Animals. He personally presented a check for $13.5 million to Jim Riepe, president of the University of Pennsylvania Board of Trustees, to be used toward the completion of new medical facilities at the Center.
"This money is an investment in Pennsylvania's ability to treat animals from across the country, and to provide top-notch educational opportunities so Pennsylvania's veterinary students will have the chance to become the best and compete in the global marketplace," Rendell explained.
The gift will help construct, among other things, a new isolation building with added biosecurity for the treatment of infectious diseases. Also, a colic barn, specializing in the treatment of horses with a variety of high-risk abdominal conditions, and a chemical digestion facility, to house new technology offering a safe and efficient means to dispose of infectious waste, will be built.
"We are so grateful for the funding of new hospital facilities because it shows the support the people of the Commonwealth have for Penn's New Bolton Center," said Amy Gutmann, president of the University of Pennsylvania. "The dedicated staff at New Bolton and at the Penn School of Veterinary Medicine, led by Dean Joan Hendricks, make a substantial contribution to animal welfare and the farming industry in Pennsylvania, and this generous grant will enable us to do even more."
"We offer the finest in 21st-century veterinary care to our patients," Hendricks said. "However, we are delivering those services in 20th-century facilities, which makes this generous gift most welcome."
This gift marks the first time public money has been used to improve the New Bolton Center, and the first major expansion since it was founded in 1964.
~~~~~
>>>>What an outstanding "gift" Barbaro has brought to New Bolton Center. First major expansion in 42 years! It may not be the biggest news of this June 8th, but it still gives me goosebumps.
Thank you again for the news.
I say, "Some blessing -- some disguise!"
The blessing out of this catastrophic injury is the increased publicity for veterinary research and treatment (not to mention the money - although it must have been in the pipeline beforehand, you don't just write a check from the general expense account . . . or do you?)
Anyhow, how is Barbaro a sophomore? Is it because he's three years old, but it's his second racing year?
Wow, that was a fabulous gift. The New Bolton Center has gained a lot of good from the treatment of this horse.
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