For Pet's Sake Column

This past week, the sport of horse racing sped to the top of the headlines with news of the death of Barbaro, the 2006 Kentucky Derby winner who was widely being touted as the next Triple Crown winner. Eight months ago, the three-year-old horse shattered his right hind leg just a few strides into the Preakness Stakes. Since then, a team of top-notch veterinarians made heroic efforts to repair Barbaro’s leg but in the end, a series of ailments, including laminitis, a debilitating hoof disease, proved too much for the courageous colt. He was euthanized on January 29.

Barbaro’s tale of soaring victory and crushing defeat tugged at the heartstrings of animal lovers worldwide. Fans from as far away as Ireland sent a bevy of flowers and get well wishes. Roy Jackson, Barbaro’s co-owner, was amazed by the outpouring of support. He was quoted as saying: “I just can’t explain why everyone is so caught up in this horse. Everything is so negative in the world right now. People love animals and I think they just happened to latch onto him.”

Roy makes an excellent point. In this very troubled and fractured world of ours, we often feel powerless against the insurmountable pain and suffering we witness – the war in Iraq, AIDS in Africa, tornadoes in Florida – are but a few. But by God, if we can send a get well card to a horse who’s hurting, perhaps we can feel that, in some small way, we have made a difference and helped to heal our wounded psyches.

Horse racing is a sport brimming with idealism and inspirational stories (think Seabiscuit). But for every fairy-tale ending, there are hundreds of sad stories that splinter our resolve as easily as the bones in a 1,200-pound horse’s pencil-thin legs. In California alone, there were more than 240 fatalities at horse tracks between 2003 and 2005. Horses as young as Barbaro, critics argue, were not designed to withstand the rigors of the racetrack. At three years of age, their bones are not fully formed, yet they are required to run anyway. Barbaro’s breakdown last May intensified the debate over the types of track surfaces used at racecourses as well as the administration of legal and illegal drugs (blood-thinners, anti-inflammatories, and pain killers are commonplace).

There are so many questions rattling around in my head right now: Why do we as Americans – people who revere the horse as part of our heritage – wish to engage in a sport that uses, abuses, and discards the elegant equine like yesterday’s newspaper? What will it take for us to reign in our insatiable hunger to breed for speed? Will Barbaro’s untimely demise propel us to reform the racing industry? I hope so. Realistically, though, I don’t expect any business that uses animals for pleasure and profit to disappear overnight. But if Barbaro’s situation can cast a much-needed spotlight on an industry that is fueled by gambling and greed, then perhaps his triumphant life and tragic death was not in vain. Maybe, just maybe, we will remember Barbaro’s struggle long after that spotlight has faded to black. Then, when we gaze at his name on the Churchill Downs wall, we will know deep in our souls that change must take place. Barbaro deserves nothing less.

BYLINE: What are your thoughts on horse racing and other forms of animal “entertainment”? Send your responses to Karen at: karenleestevens@cox.net.