by Mike Curry

Casual racing fans captivated by Barbaro’s battle to survive became much more educated in the field of veterinary medicine, probably without even realizing it, but one frequent question after he was euthanized on Monday at the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center was whether amputation was considered a viable option.

Those who followed the Barbaro saga closely after he shattered his right hind limb in the opening stages of the Preakness Stakes (G1) on May 20 and subsequently underwent a nearly seven-hour surgery to repair the leg are well aware that he was considered an ideal patient.

Dean Richardson, D.V.M., chief surgeon at Penn’s veterinary school, said Barbaro practically dragged him back to the stall after the initial surgery. Richardson also noted that Barbaro utilized his sling when necessary, rested comfortably while on his side, and maintained his appetite throughout multiple procedures, including more than a dozen requiring anesthesia.

“We never really talked about amputation, it really was never discussed,” said Roy Jackson, who bred and owned the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) winner along with his wife, Gretchen. “I don’t know whether you could have done it with the weight-bearing [issues]—would the weight all go back on the other foot for a while, I don’t know. It was never really an option. I’m sure if it was, Dean would have brought it up.”

Barrie Grant, D.V.M., M.S., of San Luis Rey Equine Hospital in Bonsall, California, was called to help design a prosthetic limb for French stakes winner Boitron, who developed complications after injuring his right hock. Grant’s team, which included mechanical engineer Gary Held and several other colleagues, made multiple attempts to provide a comfortable prosthesis for the California stallion. In December 1985, Boitron returned to his stall in fine spirits. He was later moved to Ontario, where he sired 35 registered foals in two seasons.

Ideal equine candidates for amputation and a prosthetic limb must be intelligent and healthy overall. Candidates should be sound in the opposite limb and have a good appetite. They should be willing to work with medical staff and tolerate procedures. Grant believes mentally Barbaro would have been a viable candidate, but he felt Richardson made the correct decision.

“The horse showed that he could wake up after anesthesias with a long cast on and take the sling and all of those things,” Grant said of Barbaro. “I would think he had the mental capabilities to handle it, if that was indicated for him.

“The only consideration would have been at the time of surgery, had Dr. Richardson not found good circulation to the leg when he first operated on it,” Grant continued. “That might have been an indication for amputating at that time, but he found good circulation, so there was no indication for it.

“Dean and I are colleagues, and I know he had it in his mind that [amputation] was something to consider,” Grant said. “But the fact that they found good circulation at the time of surgery—not having been there, but I would have done the same thing: try to repair that leg and see how he did. The fact that [his right limb] was healing was so encouraging, it’s the thing that makes equine surgery not for the faint of heart.”

There have been tremendous advancements in prosthetics in recent years to make them more durable and comfortable for amputees. Prosthetic limbs are made of Kevlar, a material used to produce bullet-proof vests.

Once Barbaro developed laminitis in his left hind limb in July, amputation became even less of an option.

“They generally need to have three good legs if you are going to put a prosthesis on the remaining one,” Grant said. “To have two like that would be a difficult.

“The thought of amputating both hind legs and having prostheses on both hind legs would have been going too far, in my opinion.”

Mike Curry is a Thoroughbred Times daily news editor