Paying Tribute To Vonda Sines

What can I say about Vonda? She is a true "Fan of Barbaro". Vonda has helped campaign to end the slaughter of our American horses and contributed to our efforts in a huge way. In her own words, Vonda writes...

I’d have a lot to thank Barbaro for if I could talk to him right now.

While I knew a little about horses, I had not followed thoroughbred racing for years when he was injured in the 2006 Preakness.

There was something riveting and compelling about the big bay colt with the intelligent eyes. After following the story of his catastrophic injury for a few days, I decided to submit a short piece to Associated Content about Barbaro as a hero. I also saw a connection between our country’s need for heroes following the events of 9/11 and this magnificent horse who just refused to give up.

The article was quickly accepted. I wrote a lot about horses over the next year. I would want to thank Barbaro, certainly not for being injured, but for the amazing courage and tenacity to survive that he displayed for eight months. I know the horse motivated us to overcome our own respective human obstacles. The popularity of that first article and those that followed encouraged me to get away from the writing I typically did for a living and to write about things that really make a different in people’s lives. I will forever be grateful.

We cannot guarantee that no horse will ever be injured again on a racetrack. However, we can work to stop the slaughter of these innocent animals for human consumption abroad and to make sure the tracks on which they compete are safer than in past years. We can help horses who are homeless find a place where they are loved. We can help meet the medical needs of those who are sick or injured. This is Barbaro’s legacy.

My only regret is never having met Roy and Gretchen Jackson. I would like to thank them in person for giving Barbaro the chance to live and for making his short life so accessible to his thousands of fans.

Vonda Sines