Barbaro Still Lives On

The makers of Breyer model horses has donated $US126,500 to the Laminitis fund set after in honour of the late Kentucky Derby winner, Barbaro.
Reeves International company president Tony Fleischmann presented the cheque to the University of Pennsylvania Veterinary School, a beneficiary of the fund set up by Barbaro's owners, Roy and Gretchen Jackson.

The donation was from profits from Breyer's special Barbaro model, and increased the company's total contribution from sales of the model to $US241,000.

Barbaro shattered a hing leg near the start of the 2006 Preakness Stakes. While the fractures were successfully treated, he succumbed to laminitic complications more than eight months later.

"For over 50 years now, Breyer's has been celebrating the horse by making the finest models of the most famous and beloved horses," Fleischmann said. "But seldom have we experienced the level of excitement and interest that we, and indeed the entire nation did, with the courageous and wonderful Barbaro.

"In fact it was due to the overwhelming number of passionate requests for a Barbaro model, which continued long after our initial programme had ended, that moved us to go back into production."