In only four year's time, Barbara, the amazing horse who won the Kentucky Derby in 2006, ran, won and lost his life due to injuries suffered at the Preakness Stakes.

Although Barbaro was heavily favored to win the Preakness with the same gusto he ran the Kentucky Derby. Barbara crashed through the starting gate prematurely and after he was reloaded in the gate and began the race, he fractured three bones in and around the ankle of his right hind leg shortly after the start of the race. The injury squelched any possibility of Barbara winning the triple crown and effectively ended his racing career. It is still unknown if he broke the bones during that initial crash into the starting gate or later in the race.

The day after his break at the Preakness, he underwent surgery to repair his injuries but he developed the complication of laminitis in his left rear leg. Laminitis is a potentially life-threatening affliction that is common in horses who shift weight to one foot for extended periods of time to keep pressure off an injured foot Barbara suffered through an additional five surgeries including the removal of 80% of his hoof and his prognosis varied as he remained for an extraordinarily long period of time in the equine Intensive Care Unit. Although his right leg eventually healed, a final risky surgery on it proved futile because the colt soon developed further laminitis in both front legs. Unlike many other animals, it is difficult for a horse to heal when he has a broken leg as his other three legs will have difficulty bearing the weight of the horse in many cases.

Seeing that Barbaro's quality of life was suffering, he was euthanized on January 29, 2007.

You have a first aid kit handy for your family, have one for your horse as well. Horses can be as mischievous and not thinking of their safety as your most rambunctious child, it's a good idea to have a first aid kit on hand - just in case.

Make sure you keep the items in your first aid kit current and replace out of date items as needed. Some of the basics you will need are as follows :

Thermometer (a digital one is more accurate)[2]
Petroleum jelly (to use as lubrication for thermometer)
Salt (for saline solution, which is used to clean wounds)
use 1tsp Salt to 1 pint of cooled boiled water
Sterile Cotton (for cleaning wounds)
Sharp, clean scissors that are kept in the kit only
Clean sponge and clean bucket for washing out long scrapes and larger wounds.
Bandages in a few different widths also some rolls of self adhesive tape.
Latex gloves
Clean towel
Soap
Your veterinarian's and farrier's telephone and emergency numbers.
Pencil and paper
Larger size box or large plastic bin to hold the above items.

Make sure everyone knows where the first aid kit is and the basics of using the items within, the good health of your horse may depend on it in case of an emergency situation.