Ruffian

[twnpnds]

Thank you Regret for your Ruffian signature. She was the best filly, no, the best thoroughbred period that ever lived and ran. I was watching the match race between her and Foolish Pleasure when she broke down. It was the most horrible thing I have ever seen in horse racing. When Barbaro broke down I thought not again. Luckily his jockey got him stopped before he could do anymore damage. Ruffian wasn't so lucky. Her front cannon bone broke through the skin and she kept running on it with her foot flopping uselessly. Took forever to get her stopped. They tried to save her but sadly she ended up being euthanized. For those of you who don't know her story go to www.tbgreats.com/ruffian/ and read about her. You can also read Ruffian, Burning From the Start by Jane Schwartz.

[devotee]

Ruffian panicked when she came out of anesthesia after the surgery and smashed her cast. The damage she did while thrashing was irreversible. The depressing notoriety surrounding that setback really piqued my interest in several of the strategies used on Barbaro to prevent the same thing. First, they did not operate immediately because they wanted to give him time to understand that he was injured. Then, they used that marvelous raft in the pool to reduce his thrashing while he came to, after surgery. A made-for-tv movie about Ruffian has been in production for about a year now and will be broadcast next spring. I'm not sure I'll have the stomach to watch it, but I'm sure that Barbaro's plight will become a big marketing tool for the movie. And yes indeed, she was the greatest among greats!

[Regret]

You're very welcome- I have to agree with you in that Ruffian truly was the greatest Thoroughbred to ever grace a track. Had she lived longer, she would have put a stop to her naysayers and I absolutely believe she would have proven herself ever greater than either Secretariat or Man O'War. I thank you for your kind words about my signature- it is something I whipped some time ago and was never able to use until now since the racing board I frequent banned photo signatures. Ruffian's plight was absolutely incredible and tragic at the same time, and Barbaro's reminds me so much of her in that so many were so very attached to him and still are- and there was such an outpouring of emotion and love towards that horse when he broke down.

The thing I find fascinating is that what killed Ruffian is what saved Barbaro. Ruffian's injury was far worse than Barbaro's in that it broke through the skin, leaving it wide open to infection while Barbaro's did not puncture. Ruffian's chances were slim as it was since it was a foreleg and just given the time period in which she ran. Technological advances are far superior now than they were in the 70's, and as I said- what killed Ruffian saved Barbaro. The idea of horses now waking from anethsia in a pool of water derived from Ruffian's rebreaking of her leg as she thrashed about as she awoke.

I've read Ruffian: Burning From the Start by Jane Schwartz- and incredible and touching story that left me crying until the end.

I'm glad to see others like me who appreciate the amazing horse that Ruffian was.

[twnpnds]

Devotee, I often wonder if we had the technology then that we have today could Ruffian have been saved? A lot of horses will thrash when coming out of deep anesthesia. The raft is a marvelous invention. One of the reasons they didn't operate on Barbaro right away was to get his respiration, pulse, and adreneline down. This made it very difficult to put Ruffian under anesthesia. Her pulse was racing and her respiration rates were very slow. Her heart stopped a number of times before they were able to get her stable enough to operate. But the doctors felt that they couldn't wait. She had a shattered bone sticking out and was bleeding badly. A life and death situation. Not only did she shatter her cast and the leg they had fixed she also shattered her elbow when coming out of the anesthesia. I will watch the movie but it will be with tears. Just like when I saw her last race. How I loved that big ol' girl. Still do.

[Regret]

Twnpnds, there is a very real chance that even with the advances in technology we have now, Ruffian would not have been saved. She absolutely shattered her foreleg, which is worse than Barbaro's injury since horses carry 60% of their weight on their forelegs. Her high strung nature probably wouldn't have allowed for her to stand in a stall for long without doing further damage. Barbaro is truly the perfect patient- not many other horses are calm-natured enough to endure what he has.

[twnpnds]

Regret, Ruffian did outdo Man O War and Secretariat, if I remember right. She was winning the match against Foolish Pleasure when she broke down. I wonder if she had won that race would she have broken his heart? She was known for doing that. Ruffian was a big girl. She was considerly bigger than Foolish Pleasure and had a tremendous stride. Her only fault? Her small feet. She wore a size 5 shoe and he wore a size 6. Some think this might have been part of the reason she broke her leg. All that weight coming down on those small feet at such fast speeds.

[twnpnds]

While sitting around a campfire a few years ago a friend and I got to discussing Ruffian. He's a vet. He said that she would probably have been euthanized even if she did make it through the surgery. Her leg was so badly damaged that she would probably would never have been able to put much if any weight on it. Also the risk of infection was so high that that alone might have killed her. If she lived through all that she would have miserable her whole life. She would have been in pain plus she was not cut out to stand in a stall or live a slow life. He felt that it was not fair that they even tried to save her. The good thing though was like you said, it saved other horses. Right after Barbaro broke down I posted that he had 2 things going for him. The jockey got him stopped fairly quick, and it was a hind leg. Today's technology also has a lot to do with his recovery. That and his good disposition. He really seems to understand that everyone id trying to help him.

[devotee]

Some pundits in "the industry" believe that Ruffian was destined to break down, based on her breeding. Both of her parents suffered eerily similar fates, shortly after Ruffian's terrible end. Also, match races have come to be seen as a very dangerous idea. I haven't read the book because I'd probably drown on a soggy pillow in the middle of it. A few years ago, somebody had still-motion pics of the breakdown posted on a Web site, and they were the grisliest photographs I've ever seen. I wish I'd heeded the warnings not to look.

Racing funds some of the things I love best in life - gorgeous TBs, veterinary research, horse-lovers of amazingly diverse backgrounds. It's a world filled with animals (human and equine) who thrive on risk-taking and audacity, from top to bottom. Those who can do that scene have the stomach for big lessons about life. I'm a wimp.

[Regret]

Devotee- I've never seen photos of her breakdown, but I have seen photos of Go For Wand's- was her breakdown worse than hers? I've actually seen the video of that Breeder's Cup Distaff and it was quite grusome- head over heels flipping over and then getting up to run on three legs like she did.. what an awful sight.

[devotee]

Ouch, Regret! I hid under a cushion for 10 minutes after the filly flipped in the gate during the Belmont undercard on Saturday! I couldn't watch it, although everybody was fine afterwards. Ruffian didn't roll over, but the very graphic photos of her progressively splintering and useless leg were appalling to see.

[twnpnds]

Regret, Ruffian's breakdown was worse. The bone came through her fetlock and she ran on it. Kept running on it. Her hoof was really just hanging by skin. It flopped uselessly. Poor Jacinto tried with everything he had to get her stopped but she did not want Foolish Pleasure in front of her. He finally got her stopped but by then her leg was a tangled mess. I saw the race and I have never seen another breakdown like it. Not just the break but Ruffian's desire to keep running no matter what.

[Regret]

Yeah, I've heard that, twnpnds. Ruffian was like that- she would never allow another horse to be in front of her, ever. Her story so much reminds me of the story of Black Gold- on three legs and a heart she ran on.