Giving Them A Chance

It is truly amazing how strong and resilient horses are.  A strong survival instinct coupled with the malleability of youth can make all the difference.

I know a foal who was born this spring that many would have written off.  He so big and his dam had a very tough delivery.  Due to his large size, the poor little guy was twisted and completely exhausted from his difficult entry into the world.  

A team of very dedicated people worked tirelessly to give the little fella a chance by lifting him to his feet, milking his mom and syringe feeding him until he was strong enough to stand on his own four legs.  

Without this help he would not have pulled through.

It has taken time and lots of care but this little guy is thriving.  He ended up with a nasty case of foal diarrhea, so his introduction to me was to receive a needle every day as he needed antibiotics to clear it up.  From his time of not being mobile he developed a huge bed sore which is close to being healed. He had a very crooked rear pastern and we have had to do some corrective farrier work which has helped tremendously.  He also had very contracted tendons in the front.  Luckily because he has been handled so much, he allowed me to stretch and massage his front legs.  He would lay down and allow me to stretch and rub him and massage his crooked little spine. 

What I have noticed is that the youngsters develop a real body awareness and I see that he now stretches his own forelegs when he is napping and as a result, they have straightened dramatically.  

He has been bathed and handled quite a lot and we introduced essential oils to calm him in the beginning.  He now loves them and almost goes to sleep the second I bring them near.  I have yet to halter him as I don't believe that it is something that needs to be rushed, however, when we need to work on his feet, he only requires a light touch on his neck to hold him still.

He moves away from gentle pressure and is such a good little guy.  

A lot of people would have written him off but I am sure glad that they didn't.  He is growing into a beautiful and strong young horse and I look forward to watching him continue to thrive and become an amazing partner to someone.