46zilzal
05-26-2006, 02:08 AM
I remember another incident of courage shown by a horse afer an injury and looked it up.
In the great book Decade of Champions by Robinson, illustrated by Richard Stone Reeves, on page 181 they talk about the heroic battle of Noble Dancer, an English bred owned by Norwegian interests who had run 4th in the Arc in 1976. He won in New York, California (San Juan Capistrano over Exceller) Florida and Maryland on the lawn.
"After a NYRA track record in the 11 furlong Tidal and then a 2nd in the Washington Laurel International, he contracted an appalling virus that almost killed him. Losing 200 pounds in one week poor Noble Dancer was paralyzed ofr more than a month. Trainer Tommy Kelly revived the horse.
On October 17, 1979 he brokedown in a workout. Returning to his stall, he was in dreadful pain. The injury had totally dispalced the sesamoids forcing them up in the cannon bone area. There was no support mechanism on the fetlock joint and the ankle was on the ground. Dr. Larry Bramladge of Ohio State was called in to operate.
While the entourage awaited the arrival of Dr. Bramladge the following morning, Noble Dancer mentally fought the terrible injury. Midway through Thrusday morning, assistant trainer Larry Kelly believed Noble Dancer could not take it any longer. "I was watching Dancer and he tired to commite suicide, " he says. "He walked over and pushed his head into his water bucket and kept it under the surface. He was always such a 'man' and I guess he just wanted to die that way without bothering anyone. Anyway, I was appalled. I got help, we rushed in and forced his head up and out of the water. I suppose he was just trying to get relief for the pain, because he definantly knew how very badly he was injured."
"Implanting a 14 hole stainless steel compression plate in the limb permanently fixed the cannon bone to the pastern."
Larry Kelly goes on to say "Do you know that we drove him back in the ambulance to our barn about 2 weeks after the operation and the damn thing had an electrical fault; there was smoke all over the place. I thought it might catch fire and we had to get the horse out. Wihout blinking an eyelid, the Dancer walked down the ramp very slowly, walked back with me to his old stall at Barn 22 about 150 yeards away. Noble Dancer walked back from the battlefield; he wouldn't have had it any other way. He's the toughest son of a gun I've ever met- horse or human - and when he walked into the shed row together, everyone cheered. He liked that a hell of a lot better than being a cripple in an ambulance. He just walked in with his head high, acknowledging the crowd. I was so proud of his bearing and atitude. It was as if he wouldn't admit that he had been hurt."
In the great book Decade of Champions by Robinson, illustrated by Richard Stone Reeves, on page 181 they talk about the heroic battle of Noble Dancer, an English bred owned by Norwegian interests who had run 4th in the Arc in 1976. He won in New York, California (San Juan Capistrano over Exceller) Florida and Maryland on the lawn.
"After a NYRA track record in the 11 furlong Tidal and then a 2nd in the Washington Laurel International, he contracted an appalling virus that almost killed him. Losing 200 pounds in one week poor Noble Dancer was paralyzed ofr more than a month. Trainer Tommy Kelly revived the horse.
On October 17, 1979 he brokedown in a workout. Returning to his stall, he was in dreadful pain. The injury had totally dispalced the sesamoids forcing them up in the cannon bone area. There was no support mechanism on the fetlock joint and the ankle was on the ground. Dr. Larry Bramladge of Ohio State was called in to operate.
While the entourage awaited the arrival of Dr. Bramladge the following morning, Noble Dancer mentally fought the terrible injury. Midway through Thrusday morning, assistant trainer Larry Kelly believed Noble Dancer could not take it any longer. "I was watching Dancer and he tired to commite suicide, " he says. "He walked over and pushed his head into his water bucket and kept it under the surface. He was always such a 'man' and I guess he just wanted to die that way without bothering anyone. Anyway, I was appalled. I got help, we rushed in and forced his head up and out of the water. I suppose he was just trying to get relief for the pain, because he definantly knew how very badly he was injured."
"Implanting a 14 hole stainless steel compression plate in the limb permanently fixed the cannon bone to the pastern."
Larry Kelly goes on to say "Do you know that we drove him back in the ambulance to our barn about 2 weeks after the operation and the damn thing had an electrical fault; there was smoke all over the place. I thought it might catch fire and we had to get the horse out. Wihout blinking an eyelid, the Dancer walked down the ramp very slowly, walked back with me to his old stall at Barn 22 about 150 yeards away. Noble Dancer walked back from the battlefield; he wouldn't have had it any other way. He's the toughest son of a gun I've ever met- horse or human - and when he walked into the shed row together, everyone cheered. He liked that a hell of a lot better than being a cripple in an ambulance. He just walked in with his head high, acknowledging the crowd. I was so proud of his bearing and atitude. It was as if he wouldn't admit that he had been hurt."