Tuesday, January 30, 2007

A Few Words on Barbaro

Barbaro by Levin

It is certainly sad news to hear that Barbaro, who had brought so much hope and joy to the racing world, had to suffer so much, only to be euthanized in the end. He was a horse full of power and class. Few are of that caliber and we as humans just thrive on that type of energy.

I would like to comment on a few negative things I heard in the media. First, there is the belief that the effort to save this horse was purely for the money that his offspring might bring in breeding. If you know anything about horse racing you know that only live semen is acceptable. A horse with this type of injury would never be able to "perform" that type of duty. Sure his owners and caregivers could have hope but the odds of that were slim to none. Second, there have been comments that racing in general is cruel. Again, if you have ever worked around the majestic thoroughbred, you would know that these animals were meant to run. Stand next to one that has been brought to the race track for racing and it is like watching a boxer getting ready to go into the ring. There is nothing like it. Just as in every sport, there is ugliness in horse racing. Man has tried to chemically improve on every sort of athlete from baseball players, cyclists to race horses. That is sad but the sport of kings should not be held responsible for this behavior alone. Lastly, I have seen mention that horses should just be left to be horses. Do these people mean to say that horses should be left in the wild? If so, don't they realize there is pain there as well from starvation, untreated injuries, being hunted or worse yet being hit by lightening. Man has domesticated this animal and needs to take care of his charge. I was not for the surgery on Barbaro because I knew the slim chance this horse had. However, I have great hopes that much was learned in the process and that many other horses will benefit from his 8 month struggle to live.

My eBay auction for an 8x10 pet portrait ends this evening. Please check it out and bid. This would make a great Valentine's Day gift for your pet lover.

A quick note to my friends and family to thank them on their well wishes concerning my last treatment. You all made the process so much easier with your kind words and prayers. Thank you all.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your last treatment!!! How wonderful!!! :oD

I was horrified to learn of Barbaro's death. Everything leading up to that had made me believe he was on his way to recovery. :o(

Jen

Anonymous said...

Hi Lori,

I just read your comment on runswithdog's blog.

Congratulations for taking charge. You have continued your life and you are not letting this mishap bring you down. A true fighter.

You should continue dating. I can understand that your energy level must be quite low. But you are still out there, good for you. Two days after the shave I went on a blind date but he knew I was bald.

Please understand, I don't want to glorify what I did. I was happy because I was not ill and my bald head represented something so positive.

I can understand why you miss your hair, it's absolutely beautiful.

Previously, before the shave, I had always said that if a loved one had cancer, we would both get shaved together. I was happy that no one was sick and I could do something positive.

BTW, you have a beautiful blog.

Last treatment, great news.

Feel better soon.

runswithdog said...

I too hoped that Barbaro would recover. I have always had a soft spot for thoroughbreds - after all, my childhood favorite books were Black Beauty and The Black Stallion.

As far as the hair issue goes, I can completely understand why you miss your hair. You didn't decide to shave your head - it wasn't your choice. The disease made the decision for you. I can't even begin to imagine what the past months have been like for you. I imagine, in a similar situation, I would feel kind of powerless and that is why I admire the way you have played the hand of cards you were dealt. That is great news that you are having your last treatment!

KleoPatra said...

You're such an inspiration... you know that!