Quote:
Originally Posted by blueangel
The Barbaro story is so sad and so tragic. Horse racing must be abolished. It's a cruel "sport". How many know the "real" story behind horse racing?
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Well, I grew up on a small horse farm in Kentucky. I don't recall ever doping up horses or racing them injured.
Injuries happen in all sports, not just horse racing. Unfortunately Barbaro's story garnered much attention due to the horrific way he went down and the extraordinary efforts extended to nurse him back to health. It's incredible that Barbaro responded to his treatments as well and as long as he did. It's a credit to those who were committed to ensure Barbaro with a good quality of life while in recovery, and to his owners who were financially able to make the decision on how to spend their money.
Yes, there are more thoroughbreds who go to slaughter than I might personally like, and if you want a truly tragic story we can look at Ferdinand for starters. There are some wonderful people out there like the folks at The Exceller Fund and International Fund for Horses who are working to minimize this practice.
Barbaro will be buried in a manner befitting a Kentucky Derby Champion. It's a shame, because I really thought he was going to make it.