Lava Man recovering well two days after colic surgery

DEL MAR, Calif. – Lava Man, the star older horse of the late 2000s and current stable pony, has shown rapid recovery from a colic operation earlier this week and could be sent to a local farm in several days, trainer Doug O’Neill said.

Lava Man underwent a procedure on Tuesday to correct a colon displacement. He was grazed at a local equine clinic on Wednesday evening and is showing normal colon function.

“Everything is good,” O’Neill said on Thursday. “They were happy with him yesterday evening. They’re not letting him eat much. He has good manure. Everything seems to be functioning properly.

“So far, so good. My assumption is that he’ll be there for a week and then at a farm for a couple of months.”

A 17-year-old, Lava Man won 17 of 47 starts and earned $5,268,706 from 2003-09. In recent years he has been a stable pony for O’Neill.