Incidentally, even if he makes it through surgery, and I fervently hope he does, Barbaro might not be out of the woods yet. They want to retire him to stud. Good. But. The Jockey Club doesn’t allow AI, only live cover. He’s got to jump the mares, crudely put. He’s going to have to put even MORE weight on those fragile back legs in order to do so. In other breeds, stallions can be taught to ‘collect’, as it’s called, into a container, er, held underneath him while he stands on all four feet; it saves wear and tear on the horse, particularly older stallions, and saves the mares a bit of bother too. That isn’t an option for Barbaro, at least not if they want racing foals…
Bridlepath 
Say your bit