If you’re unaware that there is a horse named Barbaro, let me tell you a little about him. Barbaro is the horse that won the Kentucky Derby last month and a serious contender for the Triple Crown. However, Barbaro broke down Saturday only a few hundred yards into the Preakness, the second leg of the triple crown.
Barbaro sustained a broken cannon bone above the ankle, a broken sesamoid bone behind the ankle and a broken long pastern bone below the ankle. The fetlock joint (the ankle) was dislocated. So he had surgery Sunday and despite the huge first step on the road to recovery, Dr. Dean Richardson said the Kentucky Derby winner’s fate still came down to “a coin toss.”
It’s always bothered me that if a horse breaks a leg they suddenly have to put it down. So with the fate of Barbaro up in the air, I sought answers. Apparently horses are frequently euthanized after serious leg injuries because circulation problems and deadly disease can arise if they can’t distribute weight evenly, and lying down for long periods can cause internal problems, making immobilization or elevation impossible. Sounds complicated, but I can live with at least some explanation. You can find even more reasons here.
I still keep coming back to this little Seinfeld bit.
Filed under: Glue, Horses, Triple Crown
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