Barbaro Updates: 172
updates are now here.
Update 1295: OK, I am off back to Fair Hill to finish up Hawty Creek (graze and groom). I basically came home as soon as I could to update the site once my phone started ringing this morning. Will be back shortly. Keep very positive thoughts for Barbaro.
Update 1294: This AP story includes quotes from Mrs. Jackson: Barbaro suffers significant setback. The quotes:
"Things were marching along pretty smoothly until this," Barbaro's co-owner Gretchen Jackson said. "We've been there before with him. He's a horse that wants to live."
and
"It's sad that's he's had a setback because he was marching along toward living outside the hospital," Jackson said. "The only thing we care about is that he's not in pain."
and
"I was there yesterday and it was obvious he was not comfortable in that foot," Jackson said. "The easiest and best way to work on Barbaro is when he's laying down. They had to wait until he was laying down and when they removed the cast, they discovered some reason for him feeling pain."
Update 1293: New Bolton Update: Barbaro suffers setback:
Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro has had a significant setback over the last 24 hours. He became acutely more uncomfortable on his left hind foot. The foot cast was removed and some new separation of the medial (inside) portion of his hoof was found. This required some additional debridement (removal of the damaged tissue) last night.
He is being treated much more aggressively at this time for his discomfort. He is continuing to eat well and is otherwise stable.
Updates will be provided when new information is available.
I heard news of this update as I was on a horse, and had three more to gallop.
Update 1292: I had dinner last night with Ed Fountaine (New York Post). He was in town to do an interview with Dr. Richardson, his article should appear sometime over the weekend I think. I had not met Ed before but we had a few phone conversations and his early mention of this site in the New York Post definitely drove traffic here. We shared plenty of horse racing stories, so it was a lot of fun. He mentioned one that I had not heard. Barclay Tagg was visiting some two year olds last spring in Florida. He saw NoBiz Like ShoBiz. As soon as he saw him jog a few steps he called up his owner and said that if he was not a triple crown type horse he would not know one if he saw one (or something similar).
The Keeneland Sale continues: Solvig brings $750K in second go-round, the top seller on tuesday being one of the late Mr. Dixon's horses. Michael Matz was at Keeneland to see the sale of some of the horses he had for Mr. Dixon.
It looks like it might be another chilly, yet good training weather, morning this morning at Fair Hill.
Update 1291: I spoke to Tom, who visited Barbaro this afternoon. Tom said Barbaro appeared comfortable and was eating. Tom was unable to take Barbaro outside.
Vigil for Barbaro, 7 pm east coast time tonight. Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, spare some thoughts for Barbaro.
Hard Spun, undefeated in three starts, looks to be making his next start on saturday: Hard Spun Looks to Remain Undefeated in Lecomte. When I was talking to Peter this morning I asked him how Chelokee was doing. He said he may run on saturday at Gulfstream Park.
Update 1290: New Bolton has released an update to explain the new foot cast that was applied last wednesday: Barbaro has new cast applied to his left hind foot:
Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro had a foot cast applied to his left hind foot on January 3, 2007 by Dr. Scott Morrison, an equine podiatry expert from Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky. "This cast was applied with the goal of starting to help re-align his coffin bone properly in that foot," said Dr. Dean W. Richardson, Chief of Surgery. "His comfort on that foot has been good since the procedure."
According to Dr. Richardson, radiographs taken on January 8, 2007 "show improved alignment of his coffin bone and continued healing of the fractured right hind pastern region." His condition is stable and a firm decision concerning his discharge from the hospital has not been made."
The next update will be posted on Tuesday, January 16, unless there is a significant change in Barbaro's condition.
Mike Jensen wrote a great article that further explains Barbaro's medical condition: Barbaro will linger for a while in Kennett: Although he's on "low-level medical care," the horse is not yet ready to be sent to Kentucky, his surgeon says. This includes the following excerpts:
"Part of it has grown almost to the bottom, pretty much," Richardson said. "The lateral part, the outside part of the hoof wall, is almost all the way to the bottom. But the inside part of the hoof has probably a tenth of that. It's really slow. It's very disparate between the different parts of the foot, and that's going to be a real problem for us."
and
"There are a lot of subtle things involved in treating this type of laminitis, and one of them is making sure that you have the alignment of the coffin bone correct," Richardson said. "And it's almost impossible to do without having something relatively rigid that's encasing his foot, so when Scott Morrison came up, that's what he did. It's basically a cast that holds his foot very firmly, but then on the outside of the cast, there's an actual horseshoe that is glued onto the cast, but at a certain angle so that we can get him back at the correct angle."
Update 1289: Mrs. Jackson just called after her morning visit today (tuesday). She reported that Barbaro is OK, but this is a slight downgrade from the status we have become accustomed. He is eating well, but is slightly less comfortable than usual. We know his comfort level will fluctuate through this long journey, this just reminds us we have to stay vigilant with our support for Barbaro. I will endevour to get a further update later today after Tom's visit.
This morning at Fair Hill was a little chillier, but a good morning for training. I ended up riding eight, seven were scheduled but another one was added on at the end of the morning as the trainer asked me if I could ride her horse as she was suffering a migrane. No problem for me. All horses except Hawty Creek (who shedrowed) went to the tracks. Whos Happy to the synthetic track and the rest to the dirt track (which was in decent shape after being closed yesterday). We seemed to have inherited a herd of deer this morning going to and fro across the horsepath we use to get to the track. Pretty to watch ... but certainly not ideal when you are on horses. All the horses seemed to train well, and I finished up the morning grazing and currying Hawty Creek simultaneously. That has to be good for a horse!
Thank you God for Barbaro's right and perfect healing, and for his complete recovery. Thank you God that miracle follows miracle, and wonders never cease.
Magnificent Steed! Another day closer. We hold the vision of your wholeness - you are perfect and complete - in vibrant good health.
The Light of God surrounds you
The Love of God enfolds you
The Power of God Protects you
The Presence of God watches over you
Wherever we are Barbaro, God IS.
Thank you God for the presence of Barbaro in my life.
Love, Light and Protection for Barbaro
Posted by: Mary S at January 9, 2007 4:49 PM