Thank you! It took me a while to navigate, as the link went back to the website home page - probably having lots of hits. If anyone else has trouble, put Barbaro in the search box under the heading "Light a Candle."
There were 1,225 candles lit for him when I visited just now. (Note to others: If you get a page with all candles lit, which I did - and couldn't figure out how to light a new one - scroll down to the bottom of the page where it says "previous" and "next" to get a new page and find a candle that has gone out, so you can light it.)
Loved the story in the RMN, especially the part about a photo of Barbaro with all fours off the ground when winning the KDerby with no one behind him for 6-1/2 lengths - then him being hoisted in the sling with all fours off the ground.
Hope they understood that they just do that when working on his bandages and most of the time he is just in it for support, not lifting. I think of it more like Tiny Tim's crutch.
I want a pic of him dog-sitting, lol. He knows what to do when standing on hurting legs and feet gets to be too much! Bless his heart - his extraordinary heart.
Swing that sling, Bobby!
Hopefully she got some good pics:
Sabina Louise Pierce, Barbaro's Penn photographer (who was just on NBC10) sent me this e-mail describing her visit to Bobby yesterday (wednesday). She gave me permission to reproduce it below:
I got to see "Big B" as I like to call him, yesterday, I call him that as he is so larger than life, in spirit and in personality. He was in his sling when I came in and he was bobbing around a little sitting back like a dog..It was too dark in his stall so I couldn't get a shot of it as much as I would have liked too. He had his face in a fan that is fastened to his door, and even though the ICU is air conditioned and cool, he seemed to be enjoying the breeze. The lights were off in his stall with just some natural light filtering in from the back window so it made tough for photos, but I tried my best. I had come in with Dr. Raker, and Dr. Palmer to photograph them for Penn's alumni magazine.. Dr. Raker was very pleased to see Barbaro as he had not seen him since the week after the accident. He was happy to see him in high spirits, and full of emotion, being a typical stallion.. He smiled a lot, and said Big B was really bright in his eye. It was good to hear from such an expert!
Barbaro let us enter his stall for a few shots, exacting his toll of carrots and sweets that we all were glad to give him.. He is funny, he has so much to choose from with all the treats coming from admirers that he is fickle, one minute wanting a green peppermint, the next a sugar cube, and then a few baby carrots.. I always try to have something in my pocket for him being so patient with me, but with his wide array of tastes these days, I found myself begging through the door for something different to wet his appetite. He humored us all putting his ears up for a few seconds as I coaxed him with my kind words and snaps of the shutter and he enjoyed being scratched behind his ears and under his forelock. He seems to know me and my camera, even though I'm not an everyday visitor, and will let me enter his stall willingly these days with out too much of a threat of a peck.. which Dr. Raker pointed out to me any emotion, a threat of a nip, or a sweet nuzzle is positive. It shows he is full of plenty of life for the good fight. After I left Barbaro yesterday, I went for a ride on my mare and she was ancy to run.. I let her go on an open stretch and she ran like the wind.. Well, as fast as her little quarter horse feet could take us gaining speed until her body was in a full stretch. I cheered her on. Afterwards, as we walked it off, I could only imagine what it would have been like to have been on Barbaro.
Cheers, Sabina
http://www.sabinalouisepierce.com/