Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro recovering from injury

After a severe injury during the running of the Preakness Stakes, Barbaro appears to be making a comeback from a potentially life-threatening situation.

Many thought the undefeated colt had a chance at becoming the first Triple Crown winner in decades after easily winning the Kentucky Derby.

Barbaro rests in his stall after surgery to repair his broken leg at the intensive care unit of the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center for Large Animals, Kennett Square, Pa., Tuesday, May 23, 2006.
Barbaro rests in his stall after surgery to repair his broken leg at the intensive care unit of the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center for Large Animals, Kennett Square, Pa., Tuesday, May 23, 2006. AP photo from Yahoo News.

Barbaro's leg was broken into 20+ pieces, a type of injury that often leads to euthanization. Horses can suffer from circulatory problems and other complications if they cannot evenly distribute their weight on all four legs.

So far Barbaro is recovering well and is resting all day long in his stall. If he fully recovers he may become a stallion used for breeding other horses.

It seems rather peculiar to me that horses, animals that depend on their running ability in the wild to survive, could severely break their legs just by galloping. And it appears this is a rather common occurrence.

Are the horses overtrained? Have they been bred too large in frame for the type of racing in which they compete?




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