Dr. Dean Richardson headed the team that attempted to save Barbaro’s life after a catastrophic injury in the Preakness Stakes. | Photo: Courtesy Sabina Louise Pierce/UPENN

Barbaro first captured America’s imagination, then its heart. “People thought a superstar was on the horizon” after Barbaro’s easy win in the Kentucky Derby, said Dean Richardson, DVM, Dipl. ACVS, the veterinary surgeon who headed the team that attempted to save Barbaro’s life after a catastrophic injury in the Preakness Stakes.

The presentation, sponsored by Merial, was designed to walk the audience of several thousand equine practitioners through the ups and downs of medically attending a horse of this caliber with an injury one veterinarian had described to this editor as “a bag of ice” because of the multiple bone fragments involved.

Richardson began his talk by showing the video of that Preakness injury, which visibly affected Richardson. He said his unique presentation was designed “for veterinarians and adults” as he dealt in-depth with the injuries and techniques used to try to save Barbaro