Barbaro: His Greatest Legacy

Despite all the warnings from his vets, America's Horse remained invincible to his thousands of loyal fans. We watched him graze in the autumn sun at the New Bolton Center (NBC) at Kennett Square, PA, where he held court in the Intensive Care Unit for eight months.

When word got around in December that he could soon be moved to (literally) greener pastures, we really whooped it up. Having survived terrible odds for so long, Barbaro could overcome anything except old age, we reasoned.

Except he couldn't.

On January 29, 2007, he died after his long struggle. To call it courageous would be an understatement.

The tens of thousands of fans who checked several times a day on the progress and the daily menu of America's Horse became known as the Fans of Barbaro, or FOBs, as they referred to themselves. The racing community came to refer to them respectfully as the Barbaro Nation.

Throughout Barbaro's ordeal, Fair Hill trainer Tim Woolley's web site, http://timwoolleyracing.com, was the gathering place for the Barbaro Nation. Alex Brown, the indefatigable webmaster, continues to post updates and host comments and a discussion board on the site. It's home, the place where the Barbaro Nation still congregates. A second home is a candle site, http://gratefullness.org/candle/. The day before the horse died, the number of candles lit swelled from around 7,700 to more than 20,000 from around the world. After the announcement was made that Barbaro had been euthanized, the NBC web site staggered under the load of 60,000 hits instead of the typical 1,000 a day.

As the last weekend of January came to a close, some members of the Barbaro Nation sensed with a pin through his cannon bone, the end was likely at hand for the beloved bay colt. Members scheduled candlelight vigil after vigil as he underwent two dozen surgeries. With the odds of his survival dimming, they still fervently posted comments urging everyone to remain optimistic.

But during his stay at NBC, they did a lot more. They mobilized hundreds if not thousands of ordinary folks to introduce anti-horse slaughter legislation. They brought the plight of abandoned and neglected horses to the web site to be read by people across the globe. By keeping Barbaro in the news, one way or another, they forced the issue of thoroughbred racing injuries into public view and saw tracks moving to safer polytrack surfaces as a result.

The comments posted on the web site Brown maintains range from profound grief to relief that the horse is probably frolicking with Secretariat. Many comments address what Barbaro taught the poster. They frequently cite his wonderful disposition and his ability to handle suffering. They also state his ordeal taught us that everyone deserves a chance, no matter how slim the odds. On January 29 as well as the following day, comments rolled in from individuals who said while they had never posted before, they now felt compelled to do so.

The Barbaro Nation represents a diverse group. It's made up of professionals who work with horses all day, photographers who take their pictures, those who own horses, and those who just fell in love with Barbaro. Prior to his injury in the Preakness, some of them didn't know a fetlock from a forelock. As a group, they are quick to ardently express their gratitude on the site: to Alex Brown many times over, to the NBC staff, to trainers Michael Matz and Peter Brette, and to jockey Edgar Prado and a host of others. They are protective of Barbaro's memory and quick to urge anyone who posts a comment in bad taste to simply get lost.

The Barbaro Nation is grieving. Its members are trying to deal with the huge loss of a horse many felt lived in their backyards, yet who officially belonged to Roy and Gretchen Jackson, owners of Lael Stables and Barbaro's dam, La Ville Rouge. While the staff at NBC must now pass an empty stall, the Barbaro Nation is trying to comprehend the loss of a horse most of them never met but who is still very much alive in their hearts.

Although many comments on the web site deal with where Barbaro's ashes will be buried, there is already some discussion of what the Barbaro Nation can do to help other horses. Members anticipate the birth of Barbaro's full brother this spring. While they would have experienced an empty nest of sorts had Barbaro been released from NBC, it came too soon. As Gretchen Jackson said, the price of love is grief.

This informal group will never forget the horse they loved so much. They have already moved some hills. Together, with leadership, they will move mountains. Barbaro Nation is a mighty name, and it fits them. They are Barbaro's greatest legacy.