Boot Leg Wisky!

The boots arrived! YAY!

I had these babies over-nighted so I could get something on Wisky's tender feet as soon as possible. These are Soft Ride Comfort Boots...about the only boot I've found that works well as therapy boots.



We popped them on little Wisky and she was a pretty happy camper.



This is a sassy little head toss she seems to like to do whenever she's feeling...well, sassy!

She's been let out of the arena onto the playfield!

She's not to sure about Roger the donkey on the other side of the gate. But he knows he likes her.



Then Rich found a friend for her and he said she was actually trotting around in her excitment, but I missed it. She lives alone at her home.



One last shot of the work crew before we go inside for the evening and leave the horses on their own.

First trim

The cost to her owner to have these put on her feet was about $500. A vet was brought in to nerve block her so she could hold her foot up long enough to have this done to her.






I'd been buting her for a few days, so finally on Wednesday, it felt like the right time to remove the shoes. She's was a pretty good gal considering all she's been through.


It was a challenge to remove the plastic plates what with being nailed and glued on. This is the 3rd pair of these things I've removed from a horse whose just been issued its death warrant. The "blue smoke" gets thicker with each one I pull off...that's how we referred the language we'd hear when my dad would bust his knuckles while working on a truck engine.


This is what I found underneath. Rotted (necrotic) foot. I can't describe the lovely aroma that permeates he air with this job sometimes.



I cleaned one front foot up as best I could and reduced some toe. The other foot had already been chopped on a bit, so I left that one for later. I was proud of how well she stood for me during all this, so I gave her a break.

I'm keeping hay in front of her at all times, she doesn't get excited about grain at all.

She's a sweet little mare!

Wisky arrives at REHRC

Wisky is an 11 year old Saddlebred mare. Her owner, Eric, called Friday evening to explain that he just didn't know what else to do to help his mare.

Eric explained that her troubles started with a cut to her pastern caused by a coming into contact with a metal building. That was 2 years ago. I imagine over-weighting her other front leg while the injured leg was healing, started a mechanical founder situation.

Several farriers were called in over that 2 year period to try helping her condition with shoes and each attempt was as futile as the last. Until, the owner, Eric, frustrated and heart-broken could not find anyone willing to try helping her.

Eric explained that he had hit the wall of hope trying to find help for his cherished little mare. He wasn't sure if he should continue with the expensive fixes that different farriers had been trying on her, or make the heart wrenching decision to end her suffering.

Upon my suggestion that he bring Wisky to the REHRC and give me 2 months to evaluate and work on her, he agreed to haul her in that next morning.

Eric and Wisky arrived as planned Saturday morning. Even though Rich and I were due to attend a weekend long open house at Dr Dick and Kathy Vetter’s new clinic, at least at some point during the weekend I could evaluate her. Neighbor's were asked to check on her while we were gone during the day.

Wisky's Hooves






I have to admit that I wasn't quite prepared for her hooves to be in this condition, but this is where she is, so this is where we will start.

With this picture, I was trying to show the apparent stress on her extensor tendons resulting from the balancing act she'd been doing on this set of shoes.


The Plan: Evaluate Wisky's condition and see just what she needs as far as her diet changes, pain management, boot choice and size. She will be deshod and trimmed and once booted, we'll go from there.

Please keep Wisky in your thoughts and prayer's. She's going to all she can get.