The Waiting Game

He has a stall with a view, a night stand with fresh flowers, and plenty of apples, carrots and peppermints to share with fellow patients in the intensive care unit at the George D. Widener Hospital for Large Animals.

Barbaro is recovering quite nicely two weeks after shattering his right hind leg in a life-threatening, career-ending breakdown at the Preakness. But while the Kentucky Derby winner heals, he’s got nowhere to run.

“He’s a horse in a stall,” says David Levine, one of three resident veterinarians assisting Dean Richardson in caring for the world’s most famous equine patient. “He hangs out all day.”

Barbaro is on a 24/7 watch in his 12-by-12 stall. There’s a full physical every day -- heart, temperature and blood checks, examination of his feet, a look at the fiberglass cast and specially designed left hind shoe, the doling out of medication and walks around his new home.

Every six hours there’s an abbreviated physical, and every two hours a vet, nurse or medical student walks by to check up on Barbaro. He is groomed every morning, and even had a bath this week.

He is fed several times a day -- hay and grass, primarily -- and his stall is cleaned twice daily, fresh straw and wood chips only.

Not much going on, for sure.

“He looks around a lot,” Levine said. “He doesn’t leave the stall. This is his bed rest.”

Life sure has taken a dramatic turn for Barbaro, whose romp in the Kentucky Derby on May 6 had racing fans hailing the undefeated 3-year-old colt as a Triple Crown champion in the making. Then came that horrifying day at Pimlico two weeks later, before a record crowd of 118,402 and millions more watching on TV.

Barbaro broke down a few hundred yards out of the starting gate, his injured leg flaring awkwardly as jockey Edgar Prado pulled up the colt and perhaps saved his life. The leg was placed in a temporary splint, and Barbaro was transported by horse ambulance to the University of Pennsylvania’s hospital at New Bolton Center about a 90-minute drive away.

The next day, Richardson and his assistants spent more than five hours in surgery, repairing three broken bones with a metal plate and 27 screws. Barbaro’s chance of survival was deemed a “coin toss” by Richardson, but every day, Barbaro’s chances of recovery improve.

“He looks great, and everything is fine,” Richardson said late this week.

By all indications, Barbaro has become the perfect patient. Somehow, he has adjusted to standing still virtually all day after two years of morning gallops, grazing among the buttercups at the Fair Hill Training Center in Elkton, Md., and running brilliantly in winning his first six races.

Richardson, the chief of surgery at Penn’s school of veterinary medicine at New Bolton Center, says Barbaro shows no signs of depression and appears to have the right disposition needed for the many months of inactivity that await while his bones heal.

“He’s very active in the stall,” Richardson said. “When a horse walks by the outside window he is peeking out trying to see who it is. If you were to look at this horse, I think an objective person would not believe this horse looks depressed.”

Daily visitors include trainer Michael Matz, who lives nearby in Coatesville, Pa., his assistant Peter Brette, and owners Gretchen and Roy Jackson, who live about three miles away in West Grove, Pa. All have been pleasantly surprised by Barbaro’s ability to adapt.

“He acts so healthy, so happy,” Gretchen Jackson said.

Earlier this week, Prado dropped by for his first visit with Barbaro since the Preakness.

“He was very bright and very strong,” Prado said. “He even wanted to get out of his stall. I’m very happy to see him acting that way.”

A good attitude also plays a big role in the healing process.

“It makes a big difference, primarily in how well they rest,” Richardson said. “Certain horses figure out how to take care of themselves in the stall, lie down and get up without injuring themselves. To some extent, they are like people -- there’s some that seem to have a more positive outlook on things.

“This horse has shown every evidence that he’s that type of horse. We’ve had horses like that, horses that we knew made it because of their individual personality that just were unbelievably tough and horses that just held themselves together long enough to heal.”

Ten of thousands of well-wishers have showered Barbaro with get-well cards, flowers and goodies. Dozens of cards and posters are on display at the front gate of the hospital, and others are hanging outside Barbaro’s stall. His night stand -- a two-tiered table on wheels -- is full of flowers, and there are several St. Francis statues nearby.

Corinne Sweeney, the executive hospital director, visits Barbaro daily and brings along the latest gifts.

“I think the outpouring of support is beyond anyone’s imagination,” Sweeney said. “People have shared their own personal success, failures and tragedies in a most heartwarming way. He’s touched a lot of people.”

While Richardson calls the shots, Levine and fellow vets Liberty Getman and Steven Zedler share the duties of checking on Barbaro every few hours.

Levine said not many horses are able to take care of themselves the way Barbaro has.

“He’s really a smart horse, and an amazing athlete,” Levine said.