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RIP Barbaro
Jan. 31st, 2007 05:49 pmSo, the other day, Barbaro, the famous racehorse who shattered his hind leg during a race over a year ago was euthanized. Put to sleep. Put to pasture. Galloping away in Glueland.
I jest, but I am sad about it. I'm not an equestrian by any means, but still, I feel a sense of mourning. Maybe there's something ingrained in the human code, particularly the female human code that drives that childlike desire of "I want a horsie!". He was a great steed and one event shattered his future as a racer.
Considering the catch-22 involved with trying to heal Barbaro, I was sad to see him go. I wonder if this is a cautionary tale about what's best for injured animals? I remember being horrified when I first heard that it was more human to shoot an injured horse than to try and save it. To try and heal one leg, another became infected. To try and heal the newly infected leg, the other leg became reinjured. And to be "laid up" for nearly a year only to be euthanized. What a struggle. Perhaps it truly is more human to have ended his life just after accident.
It makes me hope for the existence of a horsie heaven.
I jest, but I am sad about it. I'm not an equestrian by any means, but still, I feel a sense of mourning. Maybe there's something ingrained in the human code, particularly the female human code that drives that childlike desire of "I want a horsie!". He was a great steed and one event shattered his future as a racer.
Considering the catch-22 involved with trying to heal Barbaro, I was sad to see him go. I wonder if this is a cautionary tale about what's best for injured animals? I remember being horrified when I first heard that it was more human to shoot an injured horse than to try and save it. To try and heal one leg, another became infected. To try and heal the newly infected leg, the other leg became reinjured. And to be "laid up" for nearly a year only to be euthanized. What a struggle. Perhaps it truly is more human to have ended his life just after accident.
It makes me hope for the existence of a horsie heaven.
