Barbaro Fund at UPenn’s New Bolton Center

KENNETT SQUARE, PA – An anonymous donor has given a very generous gift to launch the Barbaro Fund for the George D. Widener Hospital at New Bolton Center. Due to the overwhelming outpouring of support for Barbaro, the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine has also established a website where people can send messages of support for Barbaro and where donors can offer their support for animals treated at New Bolton Center.

“It is wonderful that we can create something so very good out of Barbaro’s tragedy and to help celebrate animal athletes,” said Gretchen Jackson, Barbaro’s owner. “This fund in Barbaro’s name will honor him and provide a lasting resource to help care for animals treated at the Widener Hospital.”

Donations will go directly to a fund for the Widener Hospital and not specifically for Barbaro’s care.

Donors can find out how to offer monetary gifts at: www.vet.upenn.edu/giving/giving_ways.html.

Well-wishers can send e-mail to Barbaro via a form at: www.vet.upenn.edu/barbaro.

Text and photos © 2006 Hoofcare Publishing. Text and photos posted on “The HoofBlog”, a casual news source for subscribers and friends of Hoofcare & Lameness: The Journal of Equine Foot Science. Learn more (and subscribe online using our secure server) at http://www.hoofcare.com or write to Hoofcare Publishing, 19 Harbor Loop, Gloucester MA 01930 USA. Tel USA 978 281 3222; Fax 978 283 8775, or email hoofblog@hoofcare.com

Note: this blog is an interactive web page. By clicking on the envelope icon at the bottom of an article, you can instantly email that article to a friend. By clicking on the word “comment” after a post, you can leave a message, which may be viewed by future blog readers who click on the same “comment”. Commenting may require registering with Blogger.com. You may also comment by emailing the author, Fran Jurga, at fran@hoofcare.com and your comment will be posted for you, technology willing.

"Cripple Crown"

That was the full-page headline on one of the New York tabloids on Sunday.


Text and photos © 2006 Hoofcare Publishing. Text and photos posted on “The HoofBlog”, a casual news source for subscribers and friends of Hoofcare & Lameness: The Journal of Equine Foot Science. Learn more (and subscribe online using our secure server) at http://www.hoofcare.com or write to Hoofcare Publishing, 19 Harbor Loop, Gloucester MA 01930 USA. Tel USA 978 281 3222; Fax 978 283 8775, or email hoofblog@hoofcare.com

Note: this blog is an interactive web page. By clicking on the envelope icon at the bottom of an article, you can instantly email that article to a friend. By clicking on the word “comment” after a post, you can leave a message, which may be viewed by future blog readers who click on the same “comment”. Commenting may require registering with Blogger.com. You may also comment by emailing the author, Fran Jurga, at fran@hoofcare.com and your comment will be posted for you, technology willing.

Live from New Bolton Center: Barbaro's Radiographs

Veterinary Update on Barbaro May 22, 2006

Barbaro rested comfortably Sunday night after having major orthopedic surgery at the George D. Widener Hospital for Large Animals at the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center. “He’s doing all the things a horse should do, including eating and nickering at the mares near him,” said Chief of Surgery Dean Richardson. “While we are optimistic, we remain cautious about his prognosis and are watching for signs of infection at the surgical site, laminitis and other possible aftereffects of the surgery.”

--this report was provided by the University of Pennsylvania's School of Veterinary Medicine, New Bolton Center

Photos courtesy of Sabina Louise Pierce/University of Pennsylvania

Text and photos © 2006 Hoofcare Publishing. Text and photos posted on “The HoofBlog”, a casual news source for subscribers and friends of Hoofcare & Lameness: The Journal of Equine Foot Science. Learn more (and subscribe online using our secure server) at http://www.hoofcare.com or write to Hoofcare Publishing, 19 Harbor Loop, Gloucester MA 01930 USA. Tel USA 978 281 3222; Fax 978 283 8775, or email hoofblog@hoofcare.com

Note: this blog is an interactive web page. By clicking on the envelope icon at the bottom of an article, you can instantly email that article to a friend. By clicking on the word “comment” after a post, you can leave a message, which may be viewed by future blog readers who click on the same “comment”. Commenting may require registering with Blogger.com. You may also comment by emailing the author, Fran Jurga, at fran@hoofcare.com and your comment will be posted for you, technology willing.

UPenn's Official Statement on Barbaro's Surgical Procedure

Major surgery on Barbaro began at 1 p.m. this afternoon and ended at approximately 7 p.m. According to orthopedic surgeon Dr. Dean W. Richardson, the operation went satisfactorily and Barbaro is in his recovery stall. "Barbaro presented with a case that was about as difficult as such an operation could be," said Richardson.

Barbaro had fractured his leg in three places. During the surgery, the bones were set and will be allowed to fuse in place over time. Recovery will take many months.

"While we do not anticipate complications, surgery is only the beginning for a horse that has undergone major surgery," Richardson said. "We are optimistic, but right now we are focusing on Barbaro's recovery."

About Dean W. Richardson, DVM
Dr. Dean W. Richardson is Chief of Surgery and the Charles W. Raker Professor of Equine Surgery at Penn Vets Widener Hospital at New Bolton Center. He is an internationally recognized orthopedic surgeon whose research focuses on cartilage repair. Dr. Richardson has been part of New Bolton Center since 1979.

Text and photos © 2006 Hoofcare Publishing. Text and photos posted on “The HoofBlog”, a casual news source for subscribers and friends of Hoofcare & Lameness: The Journal of Equine Foot Science. Learn more (and subscribe online using our secure server) at http://www.hoofcare.com or write to Hoofcare Publishing, 19 Harbor Loop, Gloucester MA 01930 USA. Tel USA 978 281 3222; Fax 978 283 8775, or email hoofblog@hoofcare.com

Note: this blog is an interactive web page. By clicking on the envelope icon at the bottom of an article, you can instantly email that article to a friend. By clicking on the word “comment” after a post, you can leave a message, which may be viewed by future blog readers who click on the same “comment”. Commenting may require registering with Blogger.com. You may also comment by emailing the author, Fran Jurga, at fran@hoofcare.com and your comment will be posted for you, technology willing.

RUFFIAN: Is Reality Imitating Art Imitating Reality?

I am sure I am not the only one who thought of Ruffian and Go for Wand (and many others) while watching the Preakness drama. I was in front of a television at a country inn in New Hampshire with farrier instructor Mitch Taylor, SNEFA president Sean McClure, Mitch's lobsterman cousin, and a vet student from St George University in Granada. We had just finished an anatomy lab at the Myrhe Equine Clinic in Rochester, NH. Oh, and the bartender, who was a dressage rider.

Just think, you only have to wait one year and ten days to re-live the horror of a horse breaking down.ESPN's made-for-tv film "RUFFIAN" will be based on the true story of one of the most beloved (and ill-fated) racehorses of all time. 1975 champion filly Ruffia broke down during a match race against champion colt Foolish Pleasure at Belmont Park in NY. Rufffian re-broke her leg after surgery and was euthanized. Some of us have never forgotten that day. The film will be shown on ABC on June 4, 2007 and will star Sam Shepard, one of my favorite actors.

Text and photos © 2006 Hoofcare Publishing. Text and photos posted on “The HoofBlog”, a casual news source for subscribers and friends of Hoofcare & Lameness: The Journal of Equine Foot Science. Learn more (and subscribe online using our secure server) at http://www.hoofcare.com or write to Hoofcare Publishing, 19 Harbor Loop, Gloucester MA 01930 USA. Tel USA 978 281 3222; Fax 978 283 8775, or email hoofblog@hoofcare.com

Note: this blog is an interactive web page. By clicking on the envelope icon at the bottom of an article, you can instantly email that article to a friend. By clicking on the word “comment” after a post, you can leave a message, which may be viewed by future blog readers who click on the same “comment”. Commenting may require registering with Blogger.com. You may also comment by emailing the author, Fran Jurga, at fran@hoofcare.com and your comment will be posted for you, technology willing.

Updates on Barbaro: Surgery Complete

(photo of Barbaro above, taken by Dorothy Ours before the Kentucky Derby)

About nine p.m. tonight, Barbaro was announced to be resting in a recovery stall. Hooray!

There are 23 screws and plates in Barbaro's leg and he has a full leg cast--check out the radiograph and a good summary at this ESPN link:
http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/horse/triplecrown06/news/story?id=2452946

Check your favorite news source--In addition to ESPN and CNN, I also recommend msnbc.com or abcsports.com, and the New York Times, although many of their Barbaro updates have been restricted to subscribers (grrrr).

The media frenzy surrounding this horse may be good or bad for the sport and for the public's perception of veterinary medicine's ability to save a horses from death (or not). Let's hope that all goes well and the press stays on the story for a while, rather than disappearing now that the horse is over what will surely be only the first of several hurdles.

Note: we later learned that the correct count of screws was 27, not 23 as stated in this article.


Text and photos © 2006 Hoofcare Publishing. Text and photos posted on “The HoofBlog”, a casual news source for subscribers and friends of Hoofcare & Lameness: The Journal of Equine Foot Science. Learn more (and subscribe online using our secure server) at http://www.hoofcare.com or write to Hoofcare Publishing, 19 Harbor Loop, Gloucester MA 01930 USA. Tel USA 978 281 3222; Fax 978 283 8775, or email hoofblog@hoofcare.com

Note: this blog is an interactive web page. By clicking on the envelope icon at the bottom of an article, you can instantly email that article to a friend. By clicking on the word “comment” after a post, you can leave a message, which may be viewed by future blog readers who click on the same “comment”. Commenting may require registering with Blogger.com. You may also comment by emailing the author, Fran Jurga, at fran@hoofcare.com and your comment will be posted for you, technology willing.