Barbaro put down

[Dodoubled]

Really, really sad story. But I think it provides a really interesting insight on how difficult it is to keep horses alive after they break a leg.

There are some good writeups on and .

[lightfungus]

Was this horse really worth all that struggle? Don't get me wrong, I love animals but I was tired of hearing about him..

[Dodoubled]

Normally, I'd say no, but in this case, hopefully it will lead to some studies that can make horse racing safer for the animals (i.e. better tracks, better conditioning, fewer uses of blood-thinning drugs, etc. ...) Pat Forde wrote a nice column on it.

The owners made it clear a long time ago that they weren't even that concerned about Barbaro being able to breed, just that they wanted him to live a peaceful life. And for some strange reason, I actually believed them, even with all the money they were dumping into this effort.

I also think it was good to humanize this horse, because I think it showed a skeptical public that the sport of thoroughbred racing is about more than just exacta bets and daily doubles, and that the horses aren't just money-making machines. Whether people wanted to or not, I think the story made people care, and I think that's a good thing.