By being built up to extend the length of the left hind foot, which compensates for the additional length of the right hind limb created by the cast.Barbaro remains in intensive care at the George D. Widener hospital.
Five days after undergoing surgery, Barbaro was in excellent condition, according to a report from the George D. Widener Hospital for Large Animals at the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center."He looks good, everything is fine, and his appetite is particularly good today," said Dr. Dean Richardson, the chief of surgery at the hospital, in a statement issued at 11 a.m. (EDT) Friday.Barbaro fractured his right hind leg above and below the ankle during the May 20 running of the Preakness Stakes (gr. I). The injuries to the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands winner were both career-ending and life-threatening.The latest report about Barbaro's condition included information about a special three-part, glue-on horseshoe, designed and patented by the Farrier Service at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Veterinary Medicine, that was applied to the hoof on Barbaro's injured leg."One of the complications that can occur following leg fractures in horses is the risk of developing laminitis in the opposite foot from bearing extra weight," said New Bolton Center farrier Rob Sigafoos. "To reduce this risk, we applied a supportive shoe to Barbaro's left hind foot immediately following the surgery for the fracture of his right hind leg."
Sigafoos explained that the shoe is designed to reduce the risk of laminitis in several ways:By supporting the sole of the left hind foot; By containing materials that minimize weakening and possible infection of the sole;