Dean Richardson's wife is also a veterinarian; I was in her office last week getting a 19-year-old cat a cortisone shot to relieve its arthritis. She told me her husband still feels Barbaro has a chance, but also made clear that, while some horses have come back from severe laminitis and others from severe leg breaks, Dr. Richardson is now in uncharted territory trying to save this one from both. Putting any animal down is a wrenching decision, and many of us are reluctant to take that step when any quality of life remains. It's easy for people who don't have the burden of the decision to proclaim what they'd do. I trust the owners and doctors to do the right thing.

who takes a 19 year old cat in for an arthritis shot should be brought up on cruelty charges. Let the poor thing go for chrissakes.

Animals, AND people, do not die from arthritis.

A periodic shot just makes life easier. A lot of cats die around 15. More than a few live into their 20's.

Making an animal comfortable is the humane thing to do. Quaility of life issues also arise. If we were a humane people, we would look at ourselves with the same goals.

I don't believe in torturing a dying animal with treatment after treatment to get another month or two, at the same time, if you can afford it, letting the animal live out their life with some sort of quality and lack of pain - that is what we should do once we decide to keep an animal.

And back to Barbaro.

I love horse racing but I can only watch it by suspending my knowledge that for every horse appearing on the track, there is a 1000 at sale barns or sold off injured or leading lives that continue to spiral down due to the way they are trained. Far too early - it is the American way - got to make the profit quick - so the industry trains essentially preteens for Olympic level sport and is "shocked" when so many break down.

I do hope that Barbaro pulls through. It is a heroic effort that people are taking to make this horse whole again. And they are learning a tremendous amount that could help in other cases. Don't forget that aspect. And if he pulls through, I hope Barbaro and his owners can make the case to change the antiquaited breeding practices that the Thoroughbred breed organization demands.

And maybe, just maybe, there will be more of an effort to make some changes in the industry - but I don't harbour much hope in that - too many people out to make a buck as quick as they can. If they were in the sport for the love of it - they would not begin training these lovely animals until they were three. At least.

I have long enjoyed horse racing for the magnificence of the horses themselves, the beauty of the way they run, and the compelling excitement of close finishes or dominating performances. And every once in a while a superstar, such as a Secretariat, comes along to show us what true greatness is and lift our spirits in the process. Horse racing is perhaps the only form of gambling where the activity has a real inherent value in itself, apart from the economic ramifications. It's a shame that so many people seem only to be concerned with trying to bet a winning trifecta and don't really appreciate the racing for itself.

Still, over the past few years, I have become increasingly troubled by the thought of the horses who are injured and wind up being destroyed in the process. I don't know enough to recommend changes in track design, training methods or other aspects of the business which could make for a less dangerous situation. One thing that I have read is that a horse's bones are not fully developed until it is four years old, which would suggest that it might be wise to examine policies relating to the racing of two and three year olds. Of course, that would be a very major change which would have serious implications for the sport's signature events, especially the Triple Crown races, which are currently restricted to three year olds. In any case, I do believe that a major effort needs to be made to improve the safety of both horses and jockeys.

I only hope that what is good and beautiful about horse racing will not be completely destroyed because of the very real problems that this article describes.

What kind of heartless moron writes this? The entire world is watching, hoping and praying for this horse, and you go out with this as your headline? I am embarrassed for you. You should be ashamed - guess you will do anything for a headline Sally. Scary that you even got published.

Thank you for your article on Barbaro and horse racing, a sport that I hardly know but the story of this specific horse and how its situation relates to the rest of the industry was interesting and enlightening. If Salon can assign a subject like this to a reporter who will take some time to look a bit deeper at the subject matter with interest and respect, why couldn't Salon do the same with regards to Floyd Landis, the Tour de France, and cycling? Sally's article gave me hope.

We don't allow euthanasia for _people_, who can understand their situation and give informed consent. So, why are people so in favor of euthanasia for animals, who in the wild would conceal their injury and live as best they could for as long as they could? I think we are putting them out of _our_ misery, more than theirs, so we don't have to see them suffer.

Sally Eckhoff joins the ranks of writers, both professional and amateur, who will apparently feel deep personal disappointment if Barbaro does not survive.

There's plenty else to write about without using this horse as a target for open rage against the sport or occult hatred of the people who are wealthy enough to be in the top tier of racing and to pay for his care.

If Ms. Eckhoff is outraged at the abuses in the racing industry, why dis she have nothing to say about the ongoing tragedy at Arlington Park, where 18 horses have died so far this season?