Barbaro had a custom-made cast removed and underwent a procedure on his right hind leg Saturday (Jan. 27), the same leg the Kentucky Derby winner shattered eight months ago in the Preakness.

The incident is the first time in weeks the leg has been a problem in the colt’s recovery. For months, it was the laminitis-stricken left hind leg that put Barbaro’s recovery in serious jeopardy as he fights for survival.

“They did some procedures on the one he originally injured,” co-owner Roy Jackson told The Associated Press on Saturday night. “He had a little bit of a bruise, an abscess. I should let New Bolton fill you in on the procedure.”

Gail Luciani, a spokeswoman for the University of Pennsylvania’s veterinary school, would not confirm if a procedure was performed on Barbaro by chief surgeon Dean Richardson, DVM, Dipl. ACVS, and had no additional comment