Ok, so, I'm a Barbaro freak. Today, something has ha him on my mind, so I felt like talking about him.
If you don't know who he is/was, Barbaro was a bay Thoroughbred stallion foaled April 29th, 2003. His sire was Dynaformer, and his dam was La Ville Rouge. Anyway, going into the 2006 Kentucky Derby, Barbaro was undefeated at 5 for 5. He would go on to beat the twenty horse field by six or seven lengths, making him a sure-shot not only for the Preakness Stakes two months later, but also possibly the Triple Crown
But, thinks went horribly wrong. He broke early from the starting gate at the Preakness, so they had to load him again. Then, shortly after the race began, Barbaro had to be pulled up. His right hind leg was shattered. This was the only race he lost.
For eight months he battled his injury, as well as laminitis, a deadly hoof disease that practically eats away their hoof from the inside out, and causes a bone on the inside of their hoof to rotate painfully. He underwent severl surgeries (I think six in all), but refused to give up. However, on January 29th, 2007, at approximately 10:30 AM, Barbaro's owners decided that, even though the original injury was healing, living was becoming too hard for him because he had developed laminitis in all three of his other hooves. This left him with "no good legs to stand on". So, he was euthanized.
Here are some poems I wrote about him. Some are pretty old, but they're still pretty good I think.
An Angel's Horse:
There was a horse
Not so long ago
Who came from above
To race down below
In his heart he knew
His fate that wait
But he knew,
He just knew,
What he had to do.
He was born on Earth
One cool April morning
With a bay coat,
A white star and snip,
And a bright white sock.
As he grew in the meadow
His passion for running
Continued to grow,
And he whipped past the others
And even the mothers.
He soon started training,
Pacing and breezing,
And shocked his trainer
With his strength and his speed.
Then he began racing
And all of his work
Began to show through,
As he left the rest
To place and to show.
Then his time came
To see how he’d done
As he entered and raced
In the Run for the Roses
He didn’t run,
He didn’t leap,
Instead he won
With wings on his feet
In his next race,
He didn’t finish.
His only defeat
In this race.
A race,
Some same,
That was never run.
Among the gasps
And the cries and the pleas,
America’s horse, Barbaro
Stood only on three
For eight long months
He battled and fought
In the race of his life.
One cool January morning
He could fight no more.
The nation’s eyes
Were flooded with tears,
As they heard the news
That their hero was dead.
America’s horse is
No longer on Earth,
But we will fight
To keep his spirit alive.
He no longer has hooves,
Instead, he has wings.
He races on still,
And the others
Will still never gain.
He’s an angel horse,
So loved and so cherished,
Who continues to win,
But no longer has pain.
A Champion:
The day is a Saturday,
The first one in May.
Twenty horses ready to go,
Twenty horses eyeing their foe.
Suddenly, the horses break free,
From the gate, they flee.
All have their eye on the pride,
The roses draping on their sides.
A single bay takes the lead,
All others passed by this gallant steed.
First under the finish line,
Was that a sign?
Barbaro walks by,
His beautiful head high.
Nineteen others fell behind.
Nineteen others have defeat on their mind.
Alas! Barbaro held strong,
For his lead was long.
They drape the roses over his tack,
Sliding them over his sleek back.
A champion, proving his believers right,
Showing them his heart full of fight.
Two weeks later, Barbaro is back,
To fly around Pimlico's track.
As they load the horses into the gate,
One decides his own fate.
He breaks alone,
Causing the fans to moan.
As Barbaro is loaded for another try,
Time seems to slowly drag by.
Then, the horses are running among each other,
Barbaro and another staying together.
Suddenly, a snap can be heard,
And, to their Lord, many give a pleaing word.
Barbaro, a champion was he,
Stood painfully on three.
Many cried, many whimpered,
As Barbaro stood gravely injured.
His owners quickly and boldly said no,
When asked to put an end to the life of their hero.
For eight months Dr. Dean and his staff tried,
And many stood by their side.
Men, women and children alike,
Often to rode to the clinic, some on a bike.
Why? To encourage their champion on,
For they couldn't bear to see him gone.
But, one sad January day,
Barbaro ate the last of his hay.
His suffering was no more,
As many were crying behind a closed door.
He is no longer living down here,But, in heaven, he's found another gear.
He's now leaving Slew and 'Biscuit in his dust,
As he races on a single wind gust.
If you study the clouds above Maryland's own dearly-beloved Pimlico,
You'll see Barbaro winning on Heaven's track, making the others look slow.
Though his body and form are no longer here,
His spirit and soul will always be near.
Learning How to Fly:
Heaven's horses prance merrily across the ground,
Then, suddenly, there is an echoing sound.
They all stop and stand side by side,
For another horse on Earth has died.
As they wait to see who's gotten their wings,
Many bells begin to ring.
A brilliant bay soon rises to the sky,
As many below begin to cry.
The horse knew his fate from the start,
But, racing was still in his heart.
Now, his work is done,
And he can begin to have some fun.
Broken legs no longer hold back
The horse who's name came from a lithograph.
Though he now watches in sadness the tears down below,
He knew deep down it was time to go.
As his owners said their sad good-byes,
Barbaro had gotten ready to learn how to fly.
Finally, at last, he's given his wings,
He flies around while the angels sing.
