I really thought he was going to make it, but recent events didn't look so good. Poor pretty boy. They can't even continue his line, because thoroughbreds have to be fathered the old-fashioned way.
WTF? Argh I hate people. they put so much work and effort into trying to actually save this horse and it /appeared/ as if they were not taking the attitude of 'Oh whoops horse's leg is broken, lets kill him'
Now perhaps there really wasn't anything else they could have done. Can horses survive with just 3 legs like other animals can? This I do not know.
Well - on a more cynical note, Barbaro's owners couldn't collect on their insurance policy unless they had made a dedicated effort to save him. This is to prevent fraud, no doubt, but I do believe that his owners genuinely wanted to save him, over and above stud fees and insurance policies. In answer to your question: no, horses can't live with three legs like other animals. The whole problem Barbaro had with laminitis was a direct result of uneven weight distribution in his legs, which would not be ameliorated if he lost a leg. So, there honestly wasn't anything else they could have done to save him. :(
It's very difficult for horses to survive with three legs, but there is a small movement to develop artificial hooves. Barbaro, however, was going to have four legs, just a weak/dangerous one.
Both his hind feet ended up going bad during the recovery, and just recently his front feet developed the same inflammation his good hind foot had. It's one of the most painful things a horse can go through; standing is agony. It's a bit like having an ingrown toenail and having to stand on point on that toe 24-7. Worse, it can permanently damage the hoof and cause the leg bones to shift. Once a horse develops it, he is permanently at risk of it recurring during any injury.
Recently, Barbaro wasn't just living on three legs. He was living on no legs, on four legs that had completely failed him, and it's something that only a toxic dose of painkillers could alleviate, while the feet continued to decline in health.
Oh, I wish, I wish it wasn't so. But he had nothing left. When horses lose their ability to move, they lose their will to live.
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Now perhaps there really wasn't anything else they could have done. Can horses survive with just 3 legs like other animals can? This I do not know.
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Both his hind feet ended up going bad during the recovery, and just recently his front feet developed the same inflammation his good hind foot had. It's one of the most painful things a horse can go through; standing is agony. It's a bit like having an ingrown toenail and having to stand on point on that toe 24-7. Worse, it can permanently damage the hoof and cause the leg bones to shift. Once a horse develops it, he is permanently at risk of it recurring during any injury.
Recently, Barbaro wasn't just living on three legs. He was living on no legs, on four legs that had completely failed him, and it's something that only a toxic dose of painkillers could alleviate, while the feet continued to decline in health.
Oh, I wish, I wish it wasn't so. But he had nothing left. When horses lose their ability to move, they lose their will to live.