KENNETT SQUARE, Pa., Oct. 3 (UPI) -- Veterinarians in Pennsylvania report Kentucky Derby champion Barbaro continues to improve from an injury that shattered his right hind leg.
Barbaro has been undergoing treatment at the Intensive Care Unit of the University of Pennsylvania's George D. Widener Hospital since his injury near the start of the Preakness on May 20. It was feared the horse, which had won the Kentucky Derby by 6 1/2 lengths, would have to be destroyed.
The horse had injuries on three bones in an around his right hind ankle but has improved to the point of being taken outside each day to graze, veterinarians said.
"He is doing very, very well," said Dr. Dean Richardson, the hospital's chief of surgery. "His appetite and vital signs continue to be excellent."
Richardson added doctors remain "cautious, because Barbaro will still need several more months of healing before we'll know how well the overall hoof structure can be restored."
