Nicky Henderson: “Buveur D’Air will be out for some time after surgery”

BUVEUR D'AIR has undergone surgery by my vet David Mathieson and his team at Donnington Grove in Newbury to remove the piece of wood which had gone through the coronet band and into his hoof. The wall of the hoof had to be opened up to do this but as a consequence we now have to wait for the foot to grow back together again which could take some time to heal. The procedure went well this morning and they were able to do it without having to put him under a general anaesthetic which can sometimes cause problems when the horse comes round and they can often fall when attempting to get back up, but thankfully the removal was conducted with him standing up.

The important thing is that he hasn’t damaged his coffin joint which could have very nearly been career ending or worse so that is a huge relief and we have a lot to be thankful for as things could have been much, much worse. Buveur D’Air’s welfare and health is of paramount importance and I simply cannot speculate as to how long it will take to get him back and if/when his next race will be. This in an injury which will not be resolved overnight so we will assess the situation on a day to day basis but he is in extremely safe hands and will get the best treatment he can. It’s a terrible shame for everyone concerned including Hannah Ryan who absolutely adores him and she has barely left his side. Thankfully he is in no pain as it’s very much like a human nail in the fact that he now has a great big hole in his foot (like a human's nail) which needs to bind together and heal. As ever I will keep you all updated best I can in this blog.

Nicky