Another Barbaro Update

Here's the latest news article (from SI.com) on Barbaro. I've included some excerpts below. For the full article click here.

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[KENNETT SQUARE, Pa. (AP) -- Barbaro underwent more than five hours of surgery Sunday to repair rear leg bones he'd broken in the Preakness, calmly awoke from anesthesia and "practically jogged back to his stall" for something to eat.

His survival, however, is still 50-50. ....

"Right now he's very happy," Richardson said after the surgery at the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center for Large Animals. "He's eating, he's doing very good. But I've been doing this too long to know that day one is not the end of things." ...

.... His surgery began around 1 p.m. Sunday, and it wasn't until some eight hours later that Richardson and trainer Michael Matz emerged to announce that all had gone well.

"From the last time I saw him to now was a big relief," said a visibly fatigued Matz. "They did an excellent job. It's just an amazing thing to see him walk in like that.

"I feel much more comfortable now. I feel at least he has a chance." ....

Richardson said the pastern bone was shattered in "20-plus pieces."

The bones were put in place to fuse the joint by inserting a plate and 23 screws to repair damage so severe that most horses would not be able to survive it.

When he came out of surgery, Barbaro was lifted by sling and placed on a raft in a pool so he could calmly awake from the anesthetic.

Richardson said the horse "practically jogged back to his stall" and was wearing a cast from just below the hock to the hoof. ...]

Another news article on Barbaro's surgery can be found here. It was published in the Houston Chronicle. An interview with one of Barbaro's vets can be found on the CNN.com homepage.

Barbaro has many fans out there. Many of home have left cards, flowers, signs and other items (such as carrots and apples) at the Center. While I am too far away to do those things, I will continue to post updates on his progress because I, too, am a fan of Barbaro.