Barbaro and the 9-11 Connection

Thousands Follow His Recovery Daily

Vonda J. Sines
Vonda J. Sines, Yahoo! Contributor Network
Sep 11, 2006 "Share your voice on Yahoo! websites. Start Here."
Okay. I admit it. Like thousands of others, I check on Barbaro's progress at least four times a day. Why has this injured horse captured the hearts of so many people?

Frankly, I'm not a horse racing fan. Or wasn't. Until this congenial bay colt won the Kentucky Derby, I had never heard of him. Born April 29, 2003, Barbaro was sired by Dynaformer and the mare La Ville Rouge. At the time of his injury during the Preakness on May 20, he had seven starts and six wins to his credit. Lifetime earnings: $2,302,200.

Something happened when my husband and I turned on the news after the Preakness and word of Barbaro's catastrophic injury flashed across the bottom of the television screen. The horse's plight was riveting. I was already hooked. Would he-could he-possibly make it?

The initial news was a bit misguided. It concentrated on speculating whether Barbaro would ever be able to sire offspring rather than his survival. In the course of just a few days, however, we learned his owners, Gretchen and Roy Jackson, who own Lael Stables in West Grove, PA, intended to spare no expense to save him, as long as he remained reasonably comfortable.

We all began to breathe more easily after the horse's long surgery. Baskets of flowers, carrots, cards, and monetary donations deluged the New Bolton Center of the University of Pennsylvania vet school, where Barbaro remains stabled in intensive care. A fund was started in his honor. We rejoiced when he was briefly reunited with the jockey who undoubtedly saved his life, Edgar Prado, and when he was courted by the Governor of Pennsylvania.

And then there was July 13 and the dreaded laminitis. I first read about it during one of my Internet searches devoted to uncovering any scrap of news about Barbaro. I happened upon Alex Brown's web site.

Before the Preakness, Brown led a relatively quiet life exercising horses for some of the trainers who used the Fair Hill Training Center in Elkton, MD. One of them was Tim Woolley, who has kept a stable at Fair Hill for more than 10 years. Barbaro was stabled and trained next to Woolley's barn at Fair Hill. Brown also maintained the http://www.timwoolleyracing.com web site, which initially contained racing statistics. According to a local publication, prior to the Preakness, the site received fewer than 10 hits per day on average.

Brown came up with the idea of posting Barbaro updates, which he hoped would also increase traffic to the web site. As a result, 12,000 individuals from around the globe check the site each day, hoping for any tidbits about the fallen warrior. It also has a public comments section and publishes photos and videos. Many of the visitors to the site contributed to a birthday celebration for Barbaro's surgeon, Dr. Dean Richardson, in August. The site recently reported that the Jacksons also visit it.

Like others who check the site regularly, I have come to depend upon it for the latest news on this winsome horse. I have read that despite the fact that 80 percent of his left rear hoof was removed, 1 centimeter of what we relate to as human cuticle has already regrown. I found out hours before it hit the general media that his cast was unexpectedly changed because of a small crack. I have also followed the progress of other equine heroes-in-the making such as Lost in the Fog, recently diagnosed with inoperable cancer. I have a whole new vocabulary.

So what is it with this horse? Why are we transfixed?

I believe it's more than Americans' love for mighty horses such as Sea Biscuit and Secretariat. I submit our love affair with and concern for "America's Horse" might well be keyed to what happened to this nation on September 11, 2001. We mourned the loss of innocent lives, and we cheered those who survived against almost unbelievable odds. We embraced the exhausted heroes who came home after fighting so hard to help others. And we mourned the heroes who did not return. For all of us, the Twin Towers represented indestructible fortresses that were destroyed before our eyes.

We learned to cherish the underdog, such as the severely-injured Pentagon civilian who started life over despite the scars. We admire Barbaro's owners, who did the right thing in giving him every chance to survive. We loved Barbaro as a champion, and we cherish him as a courageous survivor. That's what is it is about this horse.

Published by Vonda J. Sines

Vonda J. Sines has been a writer and an editor her entire adult life. She left a conventional 8-to-5 career to pursue her passion of writing from dawn to dusk. She has worked as a horse, dog and cat rescue...   View profile

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  • At the time of his injury, Barbaro's lifetime earnings stood at more than $2.3 million.
  • Our fascination with this horse is linked to the terrible events of September 11, 2001.
  • Twelve thousand Barbaro well-wishers check the same web site each day.
Barbaro has watched races on television from his stall in intensive care.

44 Comments

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  • Angela England 10/26/2006

    I really like this article and it reminded me of another horse underdog, Baker Bean, so I used this article as the inspiration for an article of my own. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/76339/horses_that_capture_our_hearts.html Thank you so much for your lovely article. :-) It was inspiring. Angela <><

  • ROXANNE DONNAY 10/23/2006

    really liked this story

  • Tsu Dho Nimh 9/19/2006

    Finn - Barbaro is "serious but stable", revovered enough to be walking and grazing outside for a short time every day. His condition could slowly improve or he could founder tomorrow. It's going to be months of recovery for the laminitis. A whole hoof has to grow.

  • Jason D. 9/15/2006

    Rooting for the underDOG...sorry for the typo.

  • Jason D. 9/15/2006

    Rooting for the undersog has always been a part of the American spirit, but it seems to have become largely absent in recent years. I am happy to see that this spirit is still alive, and is no doubt a powerful force in keeping Barbaro going. As a small rancher with 9 horses, I know that horses respond to the love of humans. Horses and humans both developed neocortical brain structures which allow them to sense emotions, and I have no doubt that because he knows he's loved, Barbaro wants to keep going. He is this era's Seabiscuit, and like Seabiscuit, it's his spirit that inspires us to keep going too. Anyone who's ever spent considerable time with horses can attest to the truth of this.

  • luke 9/15/2006

    This is a GREAT piece of content.

  • Rosemarie 9/14/2006

    Yes, Barbaro is indeed our spirit. The reference to the war hooked me. I am a Native American and we have our bonds with the animals. The love and humane treatment of animals is one of the major things that sets as apart from (and above) our international enemies. You can't care about your own people or anyone else's people if you don't treat animals right!

  • Connie K. 9/14/2006

    I enjoyed and identified with this article immensely. Did you know that one of the heroes of 9/11 was a man named Paul Barbaro who lost his life in the WTC that day? Maybe it has something to do with the name that a heroe emerges. I pray America's Horse wins his battle and enjoys the rest of his life courting mares, or maybe just grazing and enjoying the outdoors.

  • Cyndi 9/13/2006

    My family are true hrse lovers and work in the field. Barbaro is an example of what is GOOD and WRong in the industry. I have watched the so called AKC dog breeders change the standards to fit what they think is a perfect animal, only to breed into the lines hip/eye/toxcitiy problesm, and I see the same happening in race horses. Breeding for speed instead of soundness is ruining this sport. The stats are sobering, a horse runs less races at an earlier age with far greater fatality rates than ten years ago. We need to stop the slaughter of horses, but we need to insure that those who proclaim to be knowledgable start paying attention to what they are doing to their animals before they are ever born. The Jacksons are people who recognize the responsibility they have to God's creatures and take that role on with out any second thoughts. We need more people like them in this world.

  • Daryl Smoliak 9/13/2006

    Great article. Greater horse! Barbaro is the Spirit of America! Now all Barbaro fans, I ask you to show Barbaro & the Jacksons how sincere we really are. Mrs. J is going to Washington to lobby the senate for the horse slaughtering bill. She asks our help! Call your senators and tell them to get on board! Two simple phone calls to preserve the lives of Barbaro's equine friends. Please!
    Daryl

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