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Pillen remained hospitalized at Nebraska Medicine in Omaha on Monday after undergoing a minimally invasive surgery, according to doctors who spoke at a news conference. He moved out of the intensive care unit to a step-down unit later in the day on Monday.

The 68-year-old was riding on horseback near Columbus with his daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter when he fell, the governor's office said.

A spokeswoman for the governor said the Nebraska State Patrol "acted consistently with protocols for his security."

Pillen was taken to Columbus Community Hospital by ambulance and later by helicopter to Nebraska Medicine in Omaha, a Level I Trauma Center, where he arrived in stable condition.

Dr. Hillman Terzian, a trauma surgeon at Nebraska Medicine, said Pillen was conscious and able to speak with the medical team despite suffering several painful injuries.

Pillen had sustained a minor fracture to his L1 vertebrae in his lower back, but no damage to his head, neck or spinal cord, Terzian said. 

He also had fractures to seven ribs on his left side — "a very, very painful injury to have" — which partially collapsed his lung.

The governor also sustained minor lacerations to his spleen and a kidney, doctors said.

Pillen underwent a minimally invasive surgery known as a coil embolization where a wire was passed into the arteries near the spleen to allow for a coil to be inserted to stop the bleeding.

"He did very well during that procedure and has been stable the entire time," Terzian said.

The governor was sedated during the procedure, Terzian said, which lasted roughly one hour.

Lt. Gov. Joe Kelly was notified by Pillen's chief of staff of the situation and briefly served as acting governor during the surgery, according to the governor's office.

Terzian said the injury to Pillen's kidney should resolve on its own.

Despite the painful injuries, Terzian called Pillen "a doctor's dream."

"I wish more patients were as motivated as him," Terzian said. "He's already been walking laps, which is very impressive when you examine him and you talk to him. He's a tough guy, and that shows with the way he's recovering so far."

Terzian said Pillen will likely leave the ICU on Monday afternoon, but will remain at Nebraska Medicine "for at least another day if not longer" to make sure the fractures to his ribs are healing.

"Our biggest focus right now is that pain control because we want him to have adequate respiratory function," said Dr. Charity Evans, the chief of acute care surgery at Nebraska Medicine.

"(Pillen's) an active person, so we want to return him to that active lifestyle, and so that will guide some of our treatment options as we move forward," she added.

According to the governor's office, Pillen has made arrangements to conduct work from his hospital room in Omaha as he recovers.

He was out of surgery in time to watch the second hall of the Nebraska men's basketball team's win against Murray State on Sunday night.

The governor and his wife, Suzanne, as well as their family, said they were "enormously grateful to the teams at Nebraska Medicine and Columbus Community Hospital," as well as the EMS professionals who transported him.

"The governor looks forward to returning to his office soon after Christmas and wishes a blessed and safe holiday to all Nebraskans," his office said.

The horse, Jack, is doing "fine," a spokeswoman said.