We celebrated with him when 3 of the casts were no longer needed.  He was about 200 lbs by then so his help in getting up and down was needed especially during my hours.  After the 3 casts were removed we only had to hold his harness and tell him "up" and provide a steadying hand on the harness and he would leap to his feet.  Laying him down after nursing still involved some lifting but much easier than before.  He needed us for massage/flexing therapy to help those joints long immobilized by casts to become flexible.   

We want to thank those few people involved in his life for their help, concern and support.  We apologize for not including other breeders in Sharif's story as it was happening.  We shared the news of him only on a "need to know" basis.  They were asked not to share the news until we had a happy ending and the foaling season concluded.  There were other breeders who were concerned about early births from their mares.  (All have since safely delivered)  We did not want them to worry that Sharif's premie challenges could also be their own path.  We were exhausted and just getting through each day and night was hard enough.  We thank you for your patience and understanding of our silence.

Sudan Sharif,  You will forever hold pieces of our hearts.