OT: Barbaro

[zt444a]

Finally succumbed to his injury. Seems like such a waste. I wonder what treatment could there possibly be for injuries to horses like that?

Or is it all experimental? Let's try this or that and see how the horse responds?

Chelsey? Anyone? Just wondering about why it is so hard to save horses...

 

[levon15]

I wonder the same thing whenever you see a story regarding racing horses. Is it mainly because horses like to stand up? I dont get it.

Might sound sick, but do they make those buggies for horses like they do for dogs, almost like a chariot for their back halves?

 

[latazyo]

I believe it is infection

if the horse wasnt worth millions of dollars Im sure they would have done it "the old fashioned way"

 

[zt444a]

Laminitis is some sort of disease they get from uneven weight distribution. Apparently it is very serious. So a buggy type of thing would just cause laminitis to happen faster to the front legs/hoofs I guess.

The break had heald from what I understand, and it was other complications that caused him to be put down.

 

[inwall75]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9114604#post9114604 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by zt444a
Laminitis is some sort of disease they get from uneven weight distribution. Apparently it is very serious. .

Yup....it often spreads to other legs but there a LOT of different ways a horse can get laminitus. Letting a horse get into a bean field or letting them eat brand new spring alfalfa or milo is one of the common ways. That's what happened to one of my clients horses named King. Paul's stupid mule kicked out a section of barn wall giving king access to new spring growth.

I've been riding King for probably 8 or 9 years and he's had laminitus in his back left hoof for each and every one of them. If I'm in a dip in a trail and I realize he's going to have to push off with his left leg to get up the other side of the dip based on his current gate, I just turn around in the weeds and make sure his right leg gets to push off. Not all horses fair so well for so many years.

A good farrier and a good diet can often help. It all depends on how bad it is.

BTW....when I call a mule stupid, it's merely an insult. They are scarey-smart compared to horses. Here's a funny story. I had a couple of horses tied up and was grooming them. My client (who was 83 years old) started screaming at his mule and started running towards his pasture (faster than most 20 year olds can). That stupid thing undid the chain on the gate. The next thing I heard was 10 horses running at full gait. They all stopped in front of the corral, turned in and looked straight at me in the corral for a few seconds as if to say, "Look where I am and you can't do anything about it". Then they all took off. It didn't take me long to get all of them back with the exception of the mule and the pony. Mules are smart and ponies are Satan's spawn. Why anyone would want a pony is beyond me.

BTW....if anyone likes to trail ride in the mountains, here is one of my favorite places to go. Especially if you have your own horse. Even if you don't, they have guided tours on foxtrotters which are very smooth compared to quarter-horses because they are a gaited breed. http://www.missourifoxtrotter.com/indexbc.html