I know she sells with a breeding, but does she sell with a sling?
Nov 05 2007
After all, you’re gonna need it to hold her up like this poor creature after those back tendons snap!
On the plus side, I take heart in the thought that this blog has shown thousands of readers what DSLD and related conditions look like, who will now know not to breed mares whose back legs look like this.
Poor mare. She’s only nine.
Boy, this has been a depressing day. I’ll have to post some positive stuff tomorrow or we’re all going to need a drink!
51 comments to “I know she sells with a breeding, but does she sell with a sling?”
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Where do you find these horses? O.o
I’m doing my college research essay on horse over-population, and…there’s no way anyone would buy that, much less breed or sell it. That’s a freak of nature. I doubt it can even walk.
*goes to the liquor waiting in the freezer*
Poor mare, I don’t think people realize how painful that condition is for a horse. We’ve put down two now with DSLD, one was a favor for a friend and one was a mare who has “fallen through the cracks” that we picked up from a rental stable.
Here is the rescued peruvian mare right before we euthanized her, she had it on all 4 and there was no way to trim her without totally sedating her and laying her down because it hurt too bad. I think she was around 10yrs: http://www.accountservicesinc.net/tori/dsldpixie1.JPG
http://www.accountservicesinc.net/tori/dsldpixie2.JPG
Here is the one that was at the rental stable still being used for pony rides, we picked her up in the rain and in the dark and this is what she looked like when we got her to a friends place. This mare was a QH also around 10 yrs:
http://www.accountservicesinc.net/tori/chiapet.jpeg
http://www.accountservicesinc.net/tori/chiabackfeet.jpeg
The people who breed horses with this disorder should really spend some time “in their horses shoes” and realize what pain they are in
This is such an excellent post because from the elbow/stifle up, this looks like a decent warmblood mare. Yes, she’s pretty ‘nesty’ and she’s not the most balanced specimen in the world, but she’s not totally fugly either.
Then the eye wanders down, and bam! She’ll need skid boots just to walk around in the pasture.
I love that the photography is well above average for the type of ads that make it to the blog; the background shows the trimmed hedges and mowed lawn of an upscale property, the lighting is good, and the mare is posed nicely with a pleasant expression, leather halter, ears up and everything.
I wish this blog were around when I did high school horse judging… it’s just fabulous for evaluating animals with a critical and trained eye.
Thanks for the distraction from the Virginia Disaster. No coincidence what those initials are…
The dark background around the hocks and lower hind legs also helps to hide the awful rear end conformation. They are not that stupid.
A question for you guys? Does every horse with legs that look like that have DSLD? We have a massive old Showjumping gelding with hindlegs that look far far worse than that mare. They have done since he was a youngster, he jumped 6ft parallels for fun. He is now 19yo, never taken an unsound step in his life, is excellent to trim, happy, good doer, I refuse to believe he is in pain and has been all his life? Opinions welcomed. Thanks
Photo of the horse I mentioned in my post above…
http://pets.webshots.com/photo/1424407788075128712LkdSdP
I’m curious too. I saw a picture of a very famous warmblood sire who has sired a whole dynasty of very sound dressage horses here in Australia and his pasterns were parallel to the ground (he was about 30 in the photo). Surely it could be old age, not always a congenital condition?
Don’t even suggest the sling. That sick woman who actually did that in one of your previous posts made me sick.
Anyone who missed that entry should read it and go to that horrible web page describing that poor mare’s torture.
Beyond horrifying. Just put this poor horse down and let her rest in peace. Mercy is a good thing.
>>Surely it could be old age, not always a congenital condition?< <
Absolutely, but this mare’s nine.
You DO see pasterns drop with age but I still haven’t seen this extreme change in the back legs merely due to age. For example, my 28 year old mare (pictured in a previous post – look back a few days to the skinny lesson horse post) has dropped somewhat but she looks normal in the hock/stifle area. (So does your 30 year old) These DSLD horses don’t. The whole leg changes in appearance from the pain and the way they are holding themselves. This mare’s hind end looks just like that of the old sorrel QH mare I posted a few months ago.
I saw a QH mare with DSLD (she was only about 9 or 10 at the time). Never broke to ride, just a “superior halter horse” then a broodmare. Awful. When they drop like that, it really straightens out the hock, and many of those halter horses are straight through the hock to begin with. It almost looks like the hock is going to camber over the other way. That has to be painful.
People really need to know correct conformation, and what a quality horse even LOOKS LIKE before breeding them. Sadly, that is not the case with most of the breeders out there…
As others have said, at first I didn’t see a TERRIBLE mare…then my eyes wandered down and BAM! That right-hind has to be the postiest posty hock in the whole damn world. It scares me – I can’t actually see a hock there, for that matter. No wonder she looks so sad.
I recognize the background photo. I called on a broodmare they had for sale a few years back. Let me just tell you this woman is completely clueless about horses. She couldn’t tell me anything about the mare I called about – she only rambled on and on about her daughter and how they were traveling so much so she would be Top youth rider for HUS for AQHA. I asked for an updated photo of the mare because the one she put up was about 2 yrs old and she said she had an old injury. I asked for a photo of that and she refused. Said she would be having people out looking for high quality horses during the QH Congress since they are about 15 minutes from there and she would definately sell to one of them.
Now, I am not the type of person to go off on a seller. But I wrote her a nasty email that if someone out-of-state wanted a current video or even current photos, they should be available. Also, when someone calls about a mare, we don’t want to hear about how well your daughter is doing in the show-pen and how she is home schooled blah, blah, blah.
These people have WAY TOO much money and no horse sense. I’m sure their trainer has to make all the decisions cuz this gal couldn’t answer ONE friggin question!
It wouldn’t surprise me this if this idiot woman even knows what DSLD is!
Man, a horse I used to ride was put down over the summer because her fetlocks had dropped. She could not longer move faster than a walk comfortably so they decided it was time. But good God, she was 27! How is it that horses this young are so severely affected? Oh right, because people breed horses like this *le sigh*. I have a mare leased out that I think will end up the same way. She has slopey pasterns to begin with, but her hinds are getting slopier. Good thing she’s just going to be packing a 10 year old around.
On a side note, is DSLD more common in horses with posty legs, or is it coincidental in that it creats posty legs?
I saved and lightened this pic to see if better and she basically has no definable hock. If she’s not very sore now she will be very soon.
bandit said:
when someone calls about a mare, we don’t want to hear about how well your daughter is doing in the show-pen and how she is home schooled blah, blah, blah
I’ve learned to expect to hear their children are homeskoold. I anticipate hearing all about their family, their hysterectomies, and glowing reports about their superstar children. I already know they probably don’t have current photos, a video, and they won’t take a shit without their trainer’s blessing. Next, I brace myself to hear they won’t be available on Sunday to show the horse, since they’ll be in church, and they’re offended you’d suggest such a thing.
Being a hillbilly isn’t so much what part of the country they’re from or how much money they have; it’s a state of mind.
poor, poor mare…
Ok. I can’t think of a better place to post this question.
There is a woman about a mile away from my home. (The ground is very flat farmland so I can see her house from my pasture) who raises…no, manufactures Quarter Horses/Paints. I haven’t met her. My Amish neighbor is allowing her to run some of her stock on his land and is putting fodder out for them now that grass is nearly depleted.
In one pasture, there are about 7 mares, one with a young foal. The others are possibly bred (Oh, of course, no vet check.) and could foal any time. No, you don’t have to check you calendar. It is November in the Midwest, and getting COLD. In the next pen are 4 of last years foals, now unhandled yearlings that didn’t sell. Of course they are uncut, too. Over at her place there are a few more mares, one who foaled last week (again, eek) and guess what, they are all running with the stallion. The Amish are dropping fodder over there too, but she isn’t paying on any of this so who knows what’s going to happen if it runs out.
My hay provider still has 300 round bales at $50/per less than 2 miles from this idiot’s house. She hasn’t bought the first bale. And she’s a medical professional, so she isn’t broke. Just either incredibly stupid, selfish, or both.
How do you reconcile helping sell and get these horses the hell away from there with not wanting to support an IDIOT who of course isn’t going to sell “all” of her mares and will be right back in this mess in a couple of years?
How do you let them go hungry when Animal Control has already been called and said “they have food” even though this worthless bitch isn’t providing it. It just seems there is no way to intervene without supporting this stupid bitch or allowing suffering.
My husband sometimes speaks of a “pillowcase party” from his military days. Evidently, when particular person’s misbehavior is causing punishment for the entire platoon, you take a bar of soap, put it in a sock, gather with several others, put a pillowcase over the misbehaving person’s head and encourage them to change their ways with the socks and soap.
IF the food runs out, it will be dead winter and who will take them then? (Amish will extend her credit with their surplus fodder…not the best food for horses but it beats eating dust…) They will not jeopardize their own stock to do it or buy hay for her when she won’t pay unless she signs the animals over to them, which she should, but won’t.
The sad thing? These aren’t your run of the mill fuglies…some of these horses could actually BE something. And they are all registered or registerable, but that isn’t going to help them much.
cnsdubie…most likely she will get desperate and start giving them away. That’s the point at which it’s ideal to intervene, since you’re not rewarding her for her bad horse ownership, but you’re still helping the horses.
I’d keep watching and make sure you always have a digital camera with you to document things if they go south.
I drive by lots of horses I’d like to get out of their current situation…we all do. It’s hard but you have to adopt a wait and see attitude, unless it’s obvious that the situation is bad enough that AC will do something.
-sigh- I thought it was time for a coffee break, not a G & T. I admit I’m a lousy judge of back legs (and I’d appreciate anyone giving me opinions on pics of different horses; we can trade email addresses). But this one’s pretty obvious; thought you might like this for comparison:
http://www.phaenon.com/images/pokey.jpg
At least that $600 “we want to sell her ‘cos we’re reducing the herd but if we can’t, we’ll breed her again” TB seemed to not have major issues. Why do people think it’s OK to breed it if you can’t ride it? Haven’t you ever had pregnant friends or been pregnant, to know that you’re still carrying weight and it never leaves ’til you deliver?
I _still_ believe if more people ask for spaying as well as gelding, the new methods will be refined more quickly. It won’t fix Stupid Greedy People, but it could help put a bigger dent in the “Is it supposed to look/act like that?” problem. (CutNJump, have you had any chance to contact/write a draft to Colorado?)
Cnsdubie – Since you haven’t met this neighbor you could go introduce yourself as a “horsey neighbor†and try to get some more info on her breeding program. If she’s friendly you can ask her how she affords it (you know, like “wow, you must have a great job to be able to afford all there horses…â€) or what plans she has going forward with out making her uncomfortable and kicking you off her property. You could also ask your Amish neighbors if they feed this persons horse every year or if this is a new thing. This will help shed some light on her situation and maybe there is something that can be done before things get out of hand.
I know it stinks to have to stand by and wait for something to happen before you can get some authorities involved, but that’s the way it is. Most people don’t think to take a pic every day or 2 to document the downfall, they just wait until it’s too late. If you keeping taking pics and can document rapid weight loss (if it comes to it) you will be able to get AC to assist before the horses suffer too much and become skin and bones. If we were all a little more proactive we may be able to stop some needless suffering.
yikes. i can feel it in my achilles.
cnsdubie…
I would, as previously mentioned, go introduce yourself to the neighbor and mention veeeerrrrry politely that you would be willing to help her find homes for the horses. You might have to wait until they drop off weight-wise and she starts getting scared about the animal control coming out to seize them, but I would definantly make yourself known to this person.
The harsh reality: If the horses truly WERE worth something, however, she likely would have already sold them.
Registerable or not, most horses that aren’t breeding stock are worth only what they can do/what they know. So if the horses aren’t really breeding stock (which is such a loose term… most foundation or generic quarter horse breeders seem to see EVERYTHING with reproductive organs as a ‘breeding prospect’…), I would consider volunteering your time to make sure they all halter/lead/can be caught somewhat easily. If you can do that, it will make them more easily given away/sold. Hopefully to decent homes, but who knows. As the numbers grow, the chances obviously go up that they won’t all have a ‘happily ever after.’
Just a thought.
Good luck, and that mare with the dsld… GAWD. Idiots. If she’s bred, she needs to be aborted before she reaches full term… or the reality is that she will need a sling just like that other mare.
Greedy bastards.
I’m always iffy on the DSLD horses posted here… because my barn apparently has one (didn’t know what it was called, but his fetlocks are lower than that mares), and I don’t believe he’s in pain. Totally sound, he’s ridden, he does everything. If you don’t look below his hocks, he looks like a really nice horse. (And yes, the vet did okay him being ridden.)
and speaking of broken down mares, here’s a craigslist gem from Michigan:
posted on oct 30 –
http://detroit.craigslist.org/pet/464629650.html
posted on nov 3-
http://detroit.craigslist.org/pet/468173773.html
*sigh*
it’s not just the fetlocks, though, joanne, it’s the poor thing’s entire back end. I wouldn’t, and Fugly said this herself, classify every horse with dropped fetlocks as a DSLD horse, but even without knowing what the disease is or does, you can’t look at those hind legs and think they look right.
Oh, I know it’s not right, I wouldn’t ever buy (or ride) a horse with legs like that. I hadn’t really noticed the hock until someone mentioned it (too busy with the lower legs), but yuck!
How does a horse be considered DSLD or not? The horse I mentioned was ~8 years old when he came. (And actually, his fetlocks are noticeably higher than they used to be… still clearly not right, but better.)
Thee are all sorts of *wonderful* thinks people can do to hide lame horses too, bute, nerving (ugh)
I personally don’t believe in riding horses that are in pain although many people do it. I remember one of the first equine biomechanics labs I participated in the professor had us walk around a barn full of regular riding horses and pointed out that 80 percent of them were lame to some degree. Some of it was subtle but all of it was clearly visible if you took a little time to watch the horses move compared to healthy sound horses. These were all riding horses we looked over that were working at the time, not the crippled broodmare herd.
The Arab ranch that I worked for as a kid had a broodie that had to have had DSLD. I didn’t know what it was then but looking back at how her fetlock joints almost touched the ground it is a given.
This mare was bred every yr till her passing and I think that she was in her late 20s at that time. All of her hooves were squared off from dragging them and it would take me forever to get her from the barn to her pasture.
I wish that I had known what it was then cuz I would have spoken up much louder about her being bred. I was only 11 when I started to work there and just a dumb kid at the time.
The real sad part is that they couldn’t sell her foals and that was in the Arabs big hayday. So this poor mare had to suffer for no reason at all!!
OK…I may be repeating myself, here, but the problem of DSLD is near and dear to my heart, since I have a diagnosed Peruvian Horse gelding with the disease. So, for those who have already read my posts about it, I apologize that I am repeating myself, but for those who are not acquainted with this horrid disease, you should be; it’s not breed specific. I have a friend whose Arab mare has it; it has been found in all breeds of horses. Peruvian Horses have been hit badly with it, because they have been inbred for over 500 years, and the gene-pool is small. There are only about 25,000 PHs in the world, so this disease is taking it’s toll on our horses.
But I must also say here, that there are strong Peruvians out there. I just bought one hell of a mare and my other 13 y/o gelding is strong, as well.
Unfortunately, most vets aren’t acquainted with the disease, or, if they are, they are not familiar with the newest research findings, and need to be educated about it. I went through 4 vets before I found one that is familiar with not only the disease, but is up-to-date on the research.
While I certainly agree that this mare shouldn’t be bred for fear of making her very bad legs worse, DSLD doesn’t always look this way. Many affected horses don’t have horizontal pasterns. This mare may indeed have the disease, or, on the other hand, she just may have weak suspensories, which is not the same as DSLD. In any event, she shouldn’t be bred.
BTW, “DLSD” has been renamed: “ESPA” (Equine Systemic Proteoglycan Accumulation). It is a breakdown of the connective tissues of the body. Right now, the only tool available for diagnosis are ultrasounds done of the suspensories, according to Dr. Jeanette Meros’s diagnostic protocol. There is no DNA test available at the moment, nor is there a cure. It is a degenerative diesease, that is systemic (it spreads to, and affects the horse’s WHOLE body). By the time it manifests itself in the legs, where the horse pulls-up lame, the disease has already spread to vital organs, eventually causing a brain aneurysm; heart, lung or kidney failure; and even blindness.
Upon lameness, it will eventually affect either the two fronts, the two hinds, or all four legs. It doesn’t appear in only one (it can at the onset); nor does it just affect only three legs; nor does it show itself in diagonal legs.
My gelding’s 4 fetlocks are indeed dropping, but he has also suffered kidney infections and false colics. His crest also dropped. It’s been found that, upon necropsies done of affected horses, the nuchal ligamnet in the neck shows the same abnormalities as the suspensories. Researchers have been working towards a nuchal ligament biopsy, but I’ve heard recently, that the U of Georgia, and Texas A&M are very close to developing a DNA test, since they are convinced it’s genetic (dominant).
Dr.Gus Cothran of Texas A&M is continuing the research. For more info, go to DSLD.org (Dr. Mero’s site). And there’s a Yahoo group: DSLD-Equine, where you will find a ton of info on DSLD/ESPA.
BTW…my gelding is not yet near the time to be put down. He has his good and bad days. Some days, I think, well, today is the day, then, he’s fine the next day and is actually gaiting in his paddock. He will tell me when it’s time. So far, all that can be done to keep these horses comfortable is Bute, and some herbs that Dr. Eleanor Kellon has recommended, that have been successful in helping these horses cope with the disease; they certainly are not a cure.
peruhorselover: thank you for that, very educational. im so sorry about your gelding, but it sounds like you still have many good days to come with him
I had written pretty much the same thing as peruhorselover, but the board wouldn’t let me log in and I lost it.
I would like to add a link to more information including case studies and photos:
http://dsldequine.info/
Thanks for all the advice in helping with my neighbor…this is the first year it’s been this bad. In the past she hasn’t had so many, and hay is cheap in our area during normal years. (Nice alfalfa for $3…)
I also have a DSLD horse; our Peruvian orphan, whose survival of septicemia borders on the miraculous, is much adored pasture art. His pasterns are as long as the Mississippi and his fetlocks touch the ground at a walk. He’s pasture sound. We figured not riding him would give him more painfree years.
The sports medicine boots are an option we’re looking at if he starts having trouble. Right now he can motor across the field with the rest of them.
And speaking of dsld/espa and other painful condtions, here’s this poor baby on dreamhorse:
http://www.dreamhorse.com/show_horse.php?form_horse_id=1121814
What a deal! An unregistered, previously foundered, probably IR, “not the best conformation”, not broken to ride, very delicate and small Peruvian Paso BROODMARE and TRAILHORSE prospect with muscle atrophy (I can almost see those posty rear legs and loooong, flexy pasterns now). Maybe somebody can negotiate her price down to zero and see if she’s salvageable for living pain-free and NOT breeding. ARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!
Bandit,
I’ve known these people for YEARS, and it will sadden you to know that they operate one of the BIGGEST training/boarding/lesson facilities in my area, and now not the woman, but her husband is an AQHA and NRHA JUDGE and TRAINER, and has been involved (as has his entire family) in the horse industry for over 40 years.
Isn’t that just food for thought? People REALLY ought to know better, but either they dont (or more likely from my experiences with them) dont CARE.
kokorami- Just catching up on everything posted over the weekend. Wow FHOTD, you really outdid yourself over the weekend.
I haven’t gotten anything together for CSU as of yet. I was on their website trying to get department contact info, and got sidetracked where they proudly display several places they get their lab ‘materials’ (mice, etc.) from.
I have also been buried in the avalanche of emails, from a good number of horse owners, and equine groups in my area, after the county decided to rezone the entire county, and posed a 2 large animals per acre restriction.
Everyone freaked out, understandably so, but the changes the county were proposing affected only properties of 1 acre. I wouldn’t want more than 2 horses, cows, sheep, goats or pigs on a 1 acre property next door to me, (most folks probably wouldn’t either) as it wouldn’t be good for the animals, let alone the smell would knock you dead at the driveway gate.
I am still working on it (CSU) though and still think spaying would be a great option if it were more affordable to everyone. If a rescue could have mares spayed, for the same price as getting colts castrated, it would help out with reducing the herd numbers, over the course of time. It would also help reduce the number of foals produced from mares who may have been adopted from one program or another- never to be bred- and changed hands after that to a BYB, only to creat more horses for the KB trucks.
Ohiostatfan- we know of a few different folks like that here too. Makes us all wonder if they are related somehow?
A) is a trainer and an Internationally carded judge for dressage, (as they advertise, of course)
B) is a trainer and carded judge for NCHA (as advertised as such)
C) advertises being a trainer, a carded judge for a specific breed and various disciplines as well as an equine consultant
D) the rest of them hold judges cards for various breeds and/or disciplines.
These are JUDGES which most of us would figure should know better- but certainly don’t act that way.
I could open a great number of cans full of worms to whoop ass, about things that go on in each barn but it certainly wouldn’t do much good, make much difference or come anywhere close to changing the industry.
These are in my opinion, absolutely deplorable displays of behaviour, ranging from varying levels of cruelty to outright abuse, and coming from the hands of an owner or trainer, let alone a judge.
Just because they hold a judges card, does not mean they are a horseman. No matter how loosely we choose to use that term.
Ohiostatfan, I knew from the very beginning when talking to the woman that she didn’t know her head from her a$$. It doesn’t even surprise me they put this horrible broodmare for sale. Although I went to their website and can’t find this mare’s picture in their for sale section. I have that sense about people right away, knowing if they are good, honest people or just full of BS. She was reading off the BS chart.
She told me a few years ago when I called on the broodmare that they had no time, traveling so much, etc. But they still have their stud and breeding more than ever. I can’t stand when people lie, lie, lie just to try to make a sale. Why don’t they say what really is going on…”This mare is a piece of crap and we can’t figure out what to do with her. We don’t want to waste any more money on her so you can have her for this ungodly amount of money so we can keep pouring money into our black hole of a horse business”. But, I doubt that would ever happen
Natrlhorse said…
Thee are all sorts of *wonderful* thinks people can do to hide lame horses too, bute, nerving (ugh)
My sister was given a mare who was blind in one eye, and navicular. She was a TB/Qh/Draft. My sister had her nerved. Then took her to the top in Dressage in the midwest. In her prime, she was the top Grand Prix horse in a tri-state area. So, nerving does have some positives.
Due to a horrific injury from being run over by a truck, I can not feel my right foot AT ALL from the heel forward. I still function normally, with no limp, but when I INJURE that foot, (which is quite often since I can’t feel it) such as the multiple broken from being stubbed toes and lacerations bad enough to require stitches, or the roofing nail imbedded between the web of my great and second toes. . . I have not the pain receptors to tell me that I have just severely injured myself and can easily compound the issue by not taking immediate action. I can tell you, as a being with the power to make my needs known, it is definately NOT a good thing to be unable to feel pain, especially in ones FEET.
peruhorselover: Hey, I couldn’t pass up the mention of Dr. Mero – I know a vet that she worked with for MANY years, and really respect both of them! Just tickled me to see her mentioned here.
I am VERY sorry to hear about your gelding, and I hope he stays pasture sound for many more years.
4thehorses, this is exactly the problem, nerving a horse doesn’t heal anything, doesn’t fix any problems it merely masks the symptoms. So now people are competing on lame horses that can’t feel their feet, that doesn’t sound very safe does it? Nerving, depending on the type also has to be re-done to keep the horse out of pain. Think about having arthritis in your fingers and having your own hands nerved, how strange would that be? Unfortunately where I see it most is in show horses to get that one more ribbon, use them up as much as possible before cashing in that insurance policy.
Maybe it would be ok for a horse that is retired and only on pasture to give it a better quality of life, but at the same time there is the risk of more serious injury since the horse cannot feel its feet.
Like Natrlhorse said, the trouble with things like nerving is that nothing is actually fixed. Just like injections, or any other pain killer, really, all it does is lessen, or remove pain, which means whatever is wrong, not only continues to be wrong, but can get even worse.
Of course it has its positives. Everything has positives. The positive of horse slaughter is that thousands of unwanted horses are made use of. The positive of breeding HYPP positive horses is that they win. End of the day, it’s up to each of us to decide whether or not we think the positives outweigh the negatives.
Egad, was that as preachy as I think? gah… teach me not to preview -lol-
starrynightxxi
Preachy or not, right on. I guess if you have a horse who is in pain, the sure, maybe nerve them to relieve it and retire them, but I don’t think it is right to nerve them and then compete on them. They are in pain because something is wrong, nerving doesn’t fix the problem, it just masks the symptoms. It’s like the people who have that problem where they don’t feel pain…. if it were your child, you don’t say, “well, she can’t feel it, so it’s okay if she …. (sticks her hand in boiling hot water, smashes her hand with a hammer, cuts her toe off, gets beaten up)”
You follow me….. saying it’s fine to compete to high levels on a horse who has been nerved is simply making an excuse for a wrong action by the owner/rider/trainer.
uh, “the sure” should have been “then sure” or simply “sure” – to steal a comment from starrynightxxi, “teach me not to preview -lol-”
I do not nerve horses, either. My experience is that navicular is best controlled with hoof care (some do well barefoot, some do well with natural balance shoes) and 24/7 turnout and isoxuprine.
The last thing I want to do is ride a horse who cannot feel his feet.
You know… that picture has unquestionably been photoshopped. The shadow is all wrong, there’s a distinct ‘pattern’ to the grass…
I shudder to think what her legs are REALLY like if they’ve been improved in that pic!!
I have one with the failing pasterns – there is no cure- right now there is no tremendous pain either. He does better with shoes for heel support – without them his pasterns drop terribly and he paws in his stall and sits on the walls for support.
He has days where he will lock up in his stiffles and days where he will run like the wind. So I just keep him in my heart and look at his eyes to see how he is doing. Usually he is mugging for treats.
So no riding – just love, time, a pasture buddy and heart. He still gives me much.
and she looks like she might have been a halfway decent mare at one time.
This photo has been retouched. Look carefully and you can’t deny it. Someone’s trying to fool us.