nhg
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Post by nhg on Aug 6, 2016 3:32:45 GMT
I know someone with a colt who is now about two and a half months old. He's crooked in the front. His right front leg was more crooked than it is now but it's still wonky. His knees are huge and he's so over at the knee it's creepy. The vet says he'll straighten out but there's been very little improvement. I think the time to help him is passing quickly because their legs solidify from the bottom up. We had a crooked foal and I found out the hard way. Anyway, the owner will not listen to me so I won't bother and she's spent a fortune to get this guy with stud fees and mare care and is still paying out a lot of money because his dam came up lame after she was bred and is so sore she has to wear special shoes and has to be sedated to have them reset because she's in so much pain she can't stand on three legs while she gets shod. The owner is delighted and constantly posting pics of him on facebook. Every time I see a picture of him I cringe. He looks too extreme to ever be sound. I've Googled pics of two month old foals to see if they're often crooked and I don't see any like him. Their legs are straight and their knees are normal sized. Unfortunately, it also brought up pics of abused and disfigured foals so I don't advise looking them up.
I'm wondering if there's any chance of him turning out okay? I can't do anything about it but I want to not think about it and feel badly for him. Thanks for any help. I don't feel comfortable posting her pics on here and I'm not good at posting pics anyway. Sorry.
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Post by horselover4life on Aug 6, 2016 10:14:39 GMT
There is a chance....
The horse needs corrective farrier work, possibly braces {yes on a horse} and a very carefully controlled diet..
Some will never change, some can and if nothing is done soon, never will.
Breeding is the fun part, having a mare foal is beautiful but then the hard intense work of keeping on top of the animals development is huge for most.
The fact the mare is not sound and in so much pain....is pitiful.
The mares issues started well before she was bred I bet but were increased ten-fold while carrying the burden of a foals weight and foals body growing off of her nutrition....
Foals often have crookedness and it straighten...severe amounts though need help and all they can get from humans.
Some of that help will never help...called genetics and the luck-of-the-draw when that babes DNA is formed...
Why sometimes although you may want to breed and do everything right you still end up with serious issues...
Why I won't breed.
I can find my perfect baby already born with out a risk to my mare {if I had a mare}, expenses and loss of use...
I've seen some real cute babies and some horrendous ones you would like to ask for a "do-over"....
Some eventually turned out OK, some did not.
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Post by horselady on Aug 6, 2016 11:39:40 GMT
In my personal opinion they both should be put down. a mare or horse that needs corrective shoeing and needs to be tranqd or put on its side to be done is in so much pain that it is not fair for the horse..
and the colt will never be right. this is bordering on animal cruelty yes with lots of monies being spent it is the same. for her own self gratification the animals are suffering
no the colt will never be right .. and will always need medical attention.. would love to see those photos tho to see for myself
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nhg
Junior Member
Posts: 2,429
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Post by nhg on Aug 7, 2016 2:11:07 GMT
I agree that the mare should be put down after this little guy is weaned. But the owner would not surprise me if she decides to keep her as a broodmare. She came back from the place where she was sent to be bred three legged lame but the vet says it's an old injury. She was always used as a barrel horse. So I don't know if she was injured there and it irritated that foot or what happened. But often she's not lame and gets around okay. The owner tends to let the shoe reset go longer than it ought to, probably because of the cost, and that's hard to see. But we no longer board there so we don't have to see it all the time, I just get lots of pictures of her poor little knobby kneed colt on facebook. He often stands with the worst leg out so he's not got even weight on it and he always has his knees forward like he's over at the knee, never straight.
I feel so bad because she was posting about how she waited twenty years for this baby but I'm also not sure what she means by that because she has almost all mares and could have bred one much sooner. The dam has a lot of thoroughbred/running quarter horse lines and so does the sire. And now I hear that she's planning to sell the colt so I feel less bad other than how bad I feel for the crooked foal. And it makes me think less of the vet if she really said he'll grow out of it. The mare is nothing special. She's not pretty and has a coarse head, she's a chestnut but not a pretty red one and she's not even a nice personality horse. The foal is super cute but they all are, really. I just feel so bad for him. I'm thinking about blocking her in fb just so I don't have to see any more pictures of the poor little bugger but I'm also hoping that he will straighten out somehow. I've seen plenty of newborns with fetlocks that drop right to the ground until their pasterns straighten up but it's never more than a few days.
Ugh, this just bothers me so much. I feel so bad about it all. Sorry for the poor sore mare and sorry for the baby that I think will end up being put down eventually.
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nhg
Junior Member
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Post by nhg on Aug 7, 2016 16:42:55 GMT
Ugh. She just posted a pic of him on fb and he's still over at the knee. She commented that his legs are good. They're still not. They're better than they were but they're not good. I'm itching to say something but I hate being the ass that does. All the other women on her fb are newbies to the horse world and don't know any better so they're 'liking' it.
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Post by horselover4life on Aug 7, 2016 17:04:39 GMT
She does not want to know the truth....
She is blind to it....
If she thinks it OK to have a horse in so much pain and agony...where her is mind on the baby?
Sadly, save your breath and thoughts.
I would block her activity so you not see and be upset...
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nhg
Junior Member
Posts: 2,429
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Post by nhg on Aug 7, 2016 23:44:19 GMT
I replied to it and said he's still over at the knee. To be honest, I think she got a half decent picture of him and chose that one to say his legs are good now. The most recent pics in the last few days still show a crooked foal. I'm sorry to say that it makes me think less of the vet but then I wonder if the vet actually said he's okay. I don't know if those of you who have me on fb can see the pic from today because I commented on it.
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leli
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Post by leli on Aug 8, 2016 2:38:53 GMT
I think I saw it on the barn's page (?). Which vet is it?
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nhg
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Post by nhg on Aug 8, 2016 4:35:34 GMT
Initials are BB. I don't know that the vet is saying that he's going to be fine or if she said he might be and it's wishful thinking on the BO's part or what. There are lots of pics of him on the barn's fb page or on the BO's page. In some, at the right angle, he looks okay and then there will be some where it looks terrible. I think the latest is a pic where she thinks he looks not too bad. And he doesn't look as bad as in some of them. It just makes me sad. He was bred to be a barrel horse and I can't see him standing up to it. I sincerely hope I'm wrong and he ends up being just fine.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2016 16:35:12 GMT
I did see the picture that you had commented on, but have not seen any of the others. I agree, the poor thing is over at the knee. With proper veterinary intervention I have seen horses straighten out and go on to lead successful competitive careers. The picture I saw he didn't look 'that bad' to me, but I'll take your word on it that it is a picture taken at a perfect angle to hide the true depth of his condition.
The two horses I am thinking of were both very crooked (both toed out) one had surgery and braces - full meal deal, the whole nine yards top of the line vet care - and went on to have a successful career as a cutting horse. He is still cutting and dabbling in barrels and is still sound as far as I know. The other didn't have surgery, but did have braces and corrective work done under vet supervision. He didn't end up coming 100% straight, but still very close and is currently jumping in the 1.10's. I can't imagine a scenario where either horse would have been sound without this intervention.
Hopefully this little colt and his dam get the care they need and everything works out the best with them.
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nhg
Junior Member
Posts: 2,429
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Post by nhg on Aug 8, 2016 18:43:26 GMT
I hope so. Every time I see pics of him I'm sad. I've been told that she's planning to sell him so I think she's trying to make people believe he's okay. Apollo, you should go on her page and see some of the other pictures of him. Some make me cringe. He is better than he was but I don't know if he'll ever be okay. Or able to have a career as a barrel horse, which is the intention. I wish I knew if the vet really has said he'll be fine. It would make me think twice about using her ever again. Or if it's jusy wishful thinking on the owner's part. The worst leg is the front right and in many of the pics he has that one sticking out and hasn't got as much weight on it.
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Post by carshon on Aug 9, 2016 14:08:22 GMT
this post just makes me sad. When raising livestock of any kind you need to have a critical eye. Especially when breeding with the intent to resell. A foal should have regular vet checks and her vet should be telling her if he sees something amiss.
Sounds like everyone is dropping the ball on this one.
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