It keeps getting worse and worse for Barbaro. For the horse that had such a bright future ahead of it - from it decimating the crowd at the Kentucky Derby to having a memorable spot on PTI's "Role Play" - it's came downhill faster then it can run.
It started with him shattering his ankle during the Preakness - which caused so much damage and needed so much repair that he would never race again. In a flash, his career was over... And his life was in jeopardy. Even the most optimistic doctors were saying that his chances of survival were 50/50. It wasn't really a natural tragedy, but we all took hold, anyway. People were sending in flowers, apples and even cards - all for a horse that can't even communicate with people, let alone read.
But still, nobody likes to see a winner go down like Barbaro did in the Preakness. Granted, it wasn't as bad to watch as Joe Theismann snapping his leg or Clint Malarchuk catching a skate to the throat... But it was still a horrid sight to watch. Here was a powerhouse of a horse getting cut down in his prime - all because of a misstep.
And now the news keeps getting worse and worse. Barbaro's leg has healed, yes, but at the expense of his other hind leg - which has developed laminitis, an incurable ailment. His career as anything - a stud horse, a racing horse or just as something that some rich girl would get from her rich dad - is over beyond a doubt. Barbaro's race is almost completely run now. Granted, it's almost impossible to look after an injured horse, especially one as injured as Barbaro has been, without having some aftereffects. It's only a matter of time before he's put down by the same doctors that were working on him not two weeks ago.
But what can you do? The horse is going to suffer from this for the rest of it's life and it surely would not even still be here if it wasn't the famous horse it is. So maybe it's time for Barbaro. Yes, having him put down is a depressing move - but it's the only humane one there really is.
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