Merry Christmas from Vegas aka Veggie

Thank you to those who have been kind enough to send some donations to go towards his recovery. It is VERY much appreciated! ...every single little bit helps! And thanks to those who have bought some hats as they also help Veggie.



Veggie has been very busy living in winter. He runs daily with the herd and he is finally knowing how to move as a 'flock' instead of banging into everyone in corners. He follows the herd around and sometimes leads them to the woods... and he's eating a LOT!



In the past few days...I have seen him actually PLAY with Daas, Rico and Jet. Amazing for him really. Instead of seeing the initiation of play as aggression and responding with his 'tazmanian devil' impersenation...he is playing. He only plays until it gets a bit 'boy rough' and then his fear factor kicks in and he stops playing. It's a great thing for him and I'm happy to see it in him...finally. Maybe the intense feelings he felt during the storm and bonding more with his 'brothers' he is feeling more like a horse should. He's exploring these feelings and overriding his learned responses towards aggression. I think he is finding his peace! Good timing.
Peace on Earth!!!

Weathering the First major Canadian winter storm

This would be Vegas’ first real winter storm. A storm with LOTS of snow , high winds, cold temperatures (like -27 C with wind chill) and lasting for a few days.
I had put his blanket on when I heard the warnings and weather reports. I knew that he’s not ready for a good ole Canadian winter storm. I went to feed hay in the woods the night before in a futile attempt to try to keep my path open. They have to walk back to the front and through the field and the gate to get to the water. It’s a lot less windy in the woods so the hay doesn’t get blown away and it's a great wind break. They prefer the trees over the man made shelters any day.

I did roll out 2 round bales in the front field but it’s so windy there that they will not stand and eat for a storm…but rather seek shelter and honker down…and not eat…if given the choice.
Colics can happen because of this. It’s important to keep them eating during a storm. Keep stoaking the fire so to speak.
Sooo this morning at the beginning of the storm I saw them eating the round bales and then things got worse. The winds grew stronger and plenty of new snow, falling and blowing sideways instead of down. The horses left the round bales and went into the back woods to seak shelter from the storm. I decided to go out to bring hay to them and I pulled (on my toboggan) 4 bales into the back woods…whew what a chore with about a foot of snow on the path. My 11 yr old son helped me…I couldn’t have done it in one trip without him. We joked and rested often to let our heart rates relax.

Here Veggie is behind Daas and the horse you see from the side is 24 yrs old.

The horses are covered in their own snow blanket. They look cold to our human eyes covered in snow and icicles in the mane and tail that clink and rattle together when they walk but when you touch them they are warm and dry on the belly and underside of the neck. That’s where it counts. The belly houses all the internal organs. The skin on their backs (and the hair) have been conditioning themselves for this for many months.
Contrary to popular belief the snow and cold is relatively easy for healthy horses to handle.
The snow should not melt off the back but be insulating…better than a blanket. No one was cold.

Before dark I had to knock off the snow from the roof of my hay shed before the shed collapsed. That’s how much snow we had today…and it is going to snow and blow through another night. The horses heard me banging and shaking in the hay shed and came up to see what all the comotion was about and then they went for water.

I took more bales to the woods and used some ‘nummy’ hay (second cut grass). All the paths were already blown over. It was hard this time by myself, the hay kept falling off the toboggan but I made it. The horses were still looking the same…warm bellies and dry with faces full of icicles.
I took a few pictures but you can’t feel the cold or hear the wind or feel the snow stinging your face but it was. I was bundled up in my best winter clothes.

Alisha went home for the weekend. I wish she could have seen what the horses do in a severe winter storm like this. I’m thinking she may see another one during the winter here though.
It’s incredible how the snow really helps Veggie. I love having snow to help rehab feet. It’s soft and clean and hydrating but not over soaking like water would be. It’s a real bonus in the feet department but also in the body. Walking through the snow requires more balance with core muscles and articulation of the joints. His body is changing rather dramatically right now and his mind is engaged in the intense feelings that winter brings about. He is focused on the others and learns from them how to maneuver around in the snow, where and when to go to the woods, to the water … etc. Winter is proving to be good for Veggie.

I've been away...the purple pony

I decided to leave the blanket on while I went away to do a clinic. The weather was not predictable and the hired help was only to feed and water and did not want to take on and off blankets...so I left it on.

First moment I got home...I took it off...and it's been off since.

He seems to have caught up some in coat production...but not totally there yet. Probably not until next winter. He was not out of the barn early enough and still had so many other issues to deal with. I won't keep a blanket on when I don't have to...but I'll watch the forecast and use if needed.
I would suspect, judging from other horses I have had in early transition to natural lifestyle that the snow is ok...the cold is ok...the wet is harder for them to deal with in their first winter if they got out late.

Vegas' coat for example does not have the same density and loft as the natural horses and also does not seem to have the water shedding ability. Added to that is that he is not used to shake and roll to clean himself...although he is learning these things through the others.

As far as his feet go...they are coming along nicely in the snow. I love snow for this!! He is getting great hydration to a chronically dehydrated, contracted foot which stimulates growth. He is growing bulbs now...he was 'bulbless' for many years.

He is growing an internal foot too by the looks of his stance and comfort level which keeps moving up.

The massive hole in his foot from the super abscess he had is staying clean in the snow...(thankfully this year is not like last year with all the muck) and doesn't seem to bother him much these days...although still looks odd.

Some Random Photos

Big Big bows....with the carrot stick! :)


Veggie...veggin' in the sunshine before the snowfall

November Course Week files...

The course week started out with very nice weather…nothing out of the usual. All was well and Veggie is still a bit limpy at times from the abscess blowing out and leaving that big hole in his foot.
I haven’t been running him but we are keeping him in the shelter with a person and then the others are able to do thier daily running. He gets pretty upset when he sees them run by but behaves well. We give him some 'yummy' hay that we keep just for the shelter visits.

It started to storm over night Wednesday and in the morning Vegas was shivering a bit. The rest were fine and not stressed at all. I ran them a bit and then fed a lot of hay. The others were fine and Vegas warmed up pretty quickly. By the time the sun went down he was cold again so I elected to put a blanket on him for the night. I keep a super winter blanket on hand for the rehabs…just in case. Of course he's not ready for winter this year....it’s to be expected when he is still one month behind in coat production…and still shedding his summer coat. I have taken many horses out of the barn and only sporadically used blankets on those crazy stormy nights.

I took off the blankie in the am…and he’s been fine. The temperature has been pretty nice. When grooming him he was still shedding, this means he is almost a full month behind the others in coat development. On Friday we just did a minor trim backing the toes all the way around.

Here he is running on his bleeding foot...

And...a bleeding foot print. By the time we saw the blood...in the foot print...and then picked up his foot...It was already finished. He's moving ok again. :) Saw lots of footprints like this but nothing worse than this. This one is right beside Daas' divot.

In sequence to the second last pic of the herd running...he is very fast and likes to overtake and race Beta...although Beta is not too fond of that idea. :)

BOOM...Nov 16th

Whew...sigh of relief. A MAJOR abscess blew out the toe.

After soaking in Borax and later Lysol...I cleared out some tissue around this 'hole'. It was exposing more and more dead layers. ewww.

After soaking, grooming etc...I wrapped his foot with a temporary bootie and sent him off. By tomorrow or the next day he should be able to hold his own. It's muddy out now and I don't like it. :(

He is walking almost 'normal' again. He is in good spirits.

Here is a pic of the bootie and of him...after the Boom.

The 13th...Lucky or unlucky day?

A lucky or unlucky day??!! Veggie is pretty 3 legged lame today…on the RF. Not wanting to weight any part of his foot this morning at all. I soaked him in warm water and borax as there is still some ‘rot’ in his foot that has yet to come out. I say 'rot' because there is the necrotic 'death' smell. It's mild...but every now and then you get a whiff of it . The ‘black hole’ is getting larger and more soft around the edges. I'm hoping this is an another abscess that is coming to the surface soon.

Although Vegas is clearly not wanting to weight his foot...he still wants to bow and walks with everyone else to and from the woods. He doesn’t give up or get depressed…just keeps on truckin’....tuned in to his 'instinct' and keepin' on. His vitals are normal.

Poor Buddy :(

Novemeber starts...

These days Vegas is acting a lot more respectful towards the other horses. He now moves away from Beta and Daas without fuss, except once in a while where he might fight back a bit but usually to Daas over Beta. It seems like they might have had some words during the night with a new big /kick ? mark on his right chest. When we asked him to bow he did, and wow we heard a LOUD pop from his shoulder area.

I just got back from being away for the weekend again and Shayne mentioned that Vegas didn't look to good in the morning. That big 'fight' he was in was probably why. We ran them anyway and they all were super fresh and really into it. Beta was leading the way most of the time.

Vegas is still making some mistakes running with the herd; running out in front of them on his own, leaving them before Beta has made a decision of where to go (usually the opposite way, then he runs back to catch up.) Doing tighter corners...he is not moving like a flock but bumping into them etc. He has gotten a LOT better but is still not running with them as a unit.

He is also acting very relaxed in the shelter now. Once we were in the shelter with them, but then left to go feed. All followed but Vegas and Rico who stayed together in the shelter eating hay. Then Rico left and Vegas stayed with us all alone for a while and did some more stretching. That would not have happened before when he was still suffering from separation anxiety. He used to get extremely anxious and nervous inside, as if worried we were going to lock him in. So this day he was just 'chillin' with us with no fear or reservations.

He shares piles of hay with Jet and Rico with no problems. He is really good at bowing now, gets the idea of it and readily does it for the carrot stick.

When we groomed them we noticed Beta, Daas, Rico and Jet have all stopped shedding their summer coats and have a good winter undercoat in place... Vegas is still shedding. He is clearly and understandably behind but does not yet appear to be cold. His sheath is not started to be 'hairy' :) while Beta's is well prepared for colder temps. The weather has been nicer than normal though. On November 6th it hailed for a while, and Vegas...looking surprised, took a while to realize it was better to turn his butt to the wind ...assume the position... but eventually spun around.

The next day we free lunged them and he was very into it, leading the way at times and the others actually followed him. Beta and the others at times would get upset at this and tell him to get back into place and he would listen. He seems to have no problem listening and understanding and eventually complying ;)to Beta anymore. On November 9th for example we noticed Beta pinning his ears repeatedly to Vegas, but with no response. This went on a few more times, but then Beta had enough of Vegas ignoring him and threatended to to bite and kick. Vegas moved away quickly enough to dodge these, instead of turning into the tasmanian devel again like he used to. He is finally allowing himself to be taught and led by the herd leader Beta. This kind of respect demanded by the herd leader is teaching him a lot. Everyone knows who is boss, and who comes next in line, and so on. There is never a second thought about it; horses want to be at peace. As long as everyone has enough food there is peace throughout the land. :)

November 11th

Today we saw Daas trying to push Vegas away but he resisted with pinned ears, and turning his butt to threaten to kick. Daas is a lover not a fighter and moves off of Veggie when he does this. He kind of looks at him like...'whoa, dude, what's wrong with you?'

This day we also started winter feeding in the woods. The snow will be here soon...the grazing grounds are taxed and pick a pooed...and there are no more bugs. The woods offer a well designed shelter, out of the wind..and if strategically done...not much pick a poo to do. The spring brings good growth in those trees. :) Lucky that I have the space in there. Since I moved here only last year...this is the first year I incorporated feeding through the woods. They had the summer to weed out trails and then I opened those trails up more. It's looking so nice in there and Veggie was very clumsy at first but caught on quickly how to pick up his feet and watch where he steps.

We ran them later in the day and at one point Vegas ran out in front of the rest, and Beta gave him an angry look. Vegas then turned and did a loop, and came in at Rico who backed him up and he went to the back of the herd behind Jet, and stayed in his place.

The next day we lunged him and he did really well, better to the left than the right. When we went to feed, there was some hay left in the shelter, and all came with us except Vegas and Jet. They seem to be pretty good buddies however at times Vegas will still attack Jet, usually over a pile of hay.

I have yet to see Veggie grooming anyone or anyone grooming Vegas. THAT will be a milestone day for sure. He does consider himself a part of the herd...but is not herd bound any longer and will leave to eat somewhere by himself at times...like the rest do.

Here is a pic of the boys...

The week of Oct 18-24

Today Vegas got another little trim. He goes back and forth between weighting the heels and the toes. Today is the toe. Also sometimes when he is standing he won’t weight his heel. However when we encourage him to this daily...we call it doing his ‘yoga’ by lifting up the left front, pedestal training and bows.. the right front is looking good on the ground. His tendons are tight but I can relate to that having just started yoga myself.

His soles have been so non existent (thin) for so many years that there is a black dot necrotic abscess ‘hole’ by the apex that continues to grow out on his right front. Later that day he got another tiny trim, just backing up the heels. The foot is so contracted that the bulb skin has taken over and grown overtop of the heels, trimming the heels back into the bulb skin uncovered more ‘hidden heel’. After the new plane was found, the soft bars were shaped. Vegas was walking a lot better that night, with much bigger strides and landing flat with that right front instead of toe first.

The next day was unusually warm. There was also a storm warning, so hay was put in the tires and some was spread. Usually the horses come when I say 'come on' in the way that I do, but they didn’t, and remained in the far field. They were busy relaxing in the hot weather. Oh well. I put some carrots in the ‘magic bucket’ in the shelter and we returned towards house.

Before we made it there the rain started, just as we made it inside it began to pour. Good for soaking feet. :)

October 20th was a breakthrough day for Vegas. He was fully weighting the right front and most of the time standing square with fronts. The right front frog is finally engaged, and the foot opened up somewhat.

Vegas was feeling good, he was finally not grouchy to the other horses or us. He is curious and seems interested in his environment, and is acting friendly.

On October 23rd it rained and Vegas was a bit cold. His coat is still behind the others because it is his first time living the natural lifestyle, and he only began at the end of August. We moved him and fed more hay and he was fine.

The next day was warm and sunny. We lunged Vegas in the round pen and it went well, not limping and he was taking bigger strides.

He still has a long way to go to get his body unlocked but he's doing ok so far.

OH OH...colic??

Vegas isn’t feeling too good.

We just got a round bale delivered yesterday so perhaps eating too much and for sure moving less gave him a bit of a tummy ache? We watched him as he got up and lied down three times in the field. He then found his comfortable spot and stayed there for a while. It seemed like a long time. Hmmmm....

When the other horses moved on, he didn’t follow or even seemed interested in where they were going...just remained lying down...so we went to see him...he stayed down. We petted him and talked to him and took pictures as well as checked his vitals. Normal. We listened with stethascope for gut sounds. There weren’t many but there were some.

Here is a pic of my 11 year old son who wanted to hear the sounds...and check on Veggie.

After about ten minutes of staying with him while he rested, we decided to go ahead and ask him to get up. He laid flat for a moment and then we put the halter and asked him to stand up.

We led him to the water but he didn’t drink. We then took him to the shelter to groom him and to further assess his 'condition'. I ended up backing up the heels on the right front again and made him a new sock type of thing with a sponge under the foot, and wrapped it with vet wrap, and secured it with duct tape .

Then we gave him some oats and sun flower seeds. He was very happy to get that and woke right up...we let him go. He had some salt/mineral mix...a big mouthfull as he has been doing in the fall...and then he went to get water. ;)

When we checked on him later that day he was all back to normal, eating with Jet at the round bale like nothing ever happened.

The next day Vegas was having an easier time getting around with his new temporary ‘boot’ and was feeling good enough to fight around the round bale. He tried kicking at Beta and Rico. After all this time he still doesn’t realize there is no need to fight for food here. Later that day, Jet was lying down sleeping, and Vegas went to join him (INSERT PICTURE).

Oct 10 -11 and 12...brrrr

Vegas is feeling a lot better, however when he starts to feel better he seems to slip back into a Tasmanian devil horse. Feels like the king of the world again and is aggressive to the other horses, and sometimes to us when it's that dreaded feeding time again. This morning he pinned is ears at us to get to the hay but stopped once I used my 'angry voice'.
Since Vegas arrived here we keep a whip on standby when feeding. He can still be very unpredictable. Feed time aggression is common with horses like this and will probably take a full year to be trustworthy fully. We also noticed a new bite on the side of his neck, seems like one of the other horses got tired of his aggressive behavior. This happens at times. :)

We went to the vet office to pay for the x-rays and when he saw us he greeted us with a big smile and said “How is the victim doing?” When we responded that he was doing “fine” the vet seemed surprised. We told him to come out sometime if he's ever near. He said he would never be near. He was still so concerned about his x-rays and seemed eager to share his thoughts that Vegas could never recover.
I showed him pictures of before and after trimming and he just said...Oh that's nice.

On October 11th it was the first cold rain of the season, very windy as well. Vegas was cold and shivering a bit. Not surprising to me really. He has been out of the barn for the last 2 months...not even. The other horses were perfectly fine resting and just honkering down for the wind. Vegas had a bit of an issue maintaining his heat but nothing catastophic. We moved him around and stoked up the furnace with the all you can eat buffet of hay...he was fine in minutes. Checked him later that evening and he was ok. His hairs and muscles aren’t working as well as they will be in the months to come. The more he stays out and is facing the elements, the more his body responds with action to combat the problem in the future. He is behind on his coat production. His hairs still feel greasy like they are covered in show sheen. The hair is not soft but almost 'prickly' for lack of a better word.

The next day we did a little trim, after the big soak he got from all that rain. The right front and left hind diagonal pair are in the worst condition still but the left front and right hind are coming along nicely for being out of shoes for 3 or 4 months, in the last 3+ years. :-0 We put a wool sock on the right front to help him weight it and to keep rocks out of the stretched WL. It will wear off in a couple of days.

Another week goes by...Oct is here

He got another trim this week. We also soaked his feet more, first the fronts and then the back. Measurements of all four were taken and documented. There were minor changes in width of the foot. There were more major changes in depth of the foot. Bulbs are trying hard to respond as is the baby frogs.

He stands well in the bucket. Sometimes goes to sleep and other times we just play 'barbie horse' and give a good massaging groom...sometimes he eats hay.

We try to do different things each day or each week and ask them to do things with us...just for fun. We are limited to ground training with Veggie. Today we jumped all the horses here at Equinextion in hand over a small jump or two in an area that will become my riding ring and we we call it the 'play pen'. Here is Veggies first try...and Beta. Beta is 24 years old and cantered on the line to the jump. He loves this kind of thing. :)

Then we got them jumping over a ditch I had to make to help collect and direct the rainfall and snow melt. Vegas is always very brave in these situations and does whatever we ask He doesn't hesitate and wonder why...he just tries to do it. I can't seem to find Veggies pic jumping the ditch so I'll put in Rico's to give you the idea. Fun stuff!!

He seems really in with the herd, and comfortable. He hangs around Jet and Rico mainly. He moves from Beta and he still thinks he can take Daas on a good day. ;) Here they are exploring the new jump in the play pen area.

It's course week and Vegas was very sore on the right front, pretty much three legged lame. I suspected an abscess but it's always bad to see them lame. He didn't seem to mind though. He ran anyways with the others but was extremely sweaty after and shaking on his left front, from taking all the weight. We soaked his feet that night as well, it was difficult to get him standing in the bucket; he was not feeling good, had lots of trouble putting weight on right front. This just screams abscess. At one point he rested his right front leg and right hind at the same time.

The next morning he was quite a bit better, and was weighting the right front a bit more. We soaked his feet again that night and noticed the black ooze coming out of the apex of the right front frog. He stood well in the bucket for soaking...must have felt good. His right front frog has peeled off, allowing the foot to open up, however he is now standing on a tender baby frog and baby bulbs. (See blog post on incredible peeling froggy)

The incredible peeling froggy

It took about 3 weeks total from the start of the peeling frog to the end of it.

The LF frog peeled off quickly and another 'baby' frog grew rapidly in. Shows much better on video for sure.

The RF frog was peeling from an old abscess from the bulbs. His bulbs on the RF looked rotton right from the start so once he was trimmed and moving on it much more than before...the foot took over and wanted to get rid of this squeezed, pinched and contracted frog.

It went through many days...started with just a flap of 'dead' frog and then you could peel the whole frog back and expose this super baby frog under it. Talk about the foot starting to grow on it's own. wow

At this point there were rocks getting under the 'flap'...so I opted to cut it out.

It was left with a baby frog that is getting in touch with 'life' again...or for once. I kept the frog in a baggie to show to course participants next week. It's hard and lifeless...and has a really bad smell to it.

ONE MONTH post arrival

It has been one month since Vegas arrived. His personality developed for the better. This morning when we went to spread hay he was very respectful and moved off quietly when asked. He moved off of Daas and Beta's space with no ear pinning or swishing tail.

We saw him walk up to a pile and actually wants to 'share' it with Jet. Jet actually pinned his ears and used his body weight to push Veggie away. Veggie moved off a bit and then started to share the pile again. Jet was fine with that too and then Rico joined in later. They all shared together.

Today I also trimmed Veggies feet ...more on the RF heels than anywhere. The trot is getting better, he is reaching with his shoulders a bit more and has a bigger stride. Less than a month ago...he was so TIGHT everywhere that he preferred to RUN everywhere and act like he was hopped up on explosives... :)

The RF frog looks like 'gristle' for lack of a better word. It's 'dieing' and looks like a big scab.

His body cracks SO much less now. Only occasionally instead of 5 times per step.

Backed up the toes on the hind feet again. I remember the vet saying that the hinds were fine...just needing a good trim. They are so run under and have been for 'ever' it will be amazing to see them 'normal'. His poop however...IS normal now. :) :)

Today he preferred to trot with the others and wasn't showing any favorable shortness between one leg or another. He stayed in 'formation' for the evening run and ran as a part of the herd instead of racing or lagging behind.

We did some fun pedestal training with him. He was the quickest one to 'get it' out of all the horses here. He LOVES cookies... :) ;)

He 'did' the pedestal and also some ditch jumping today. We will continue to 'play' with him to strengthen his mind and body connection.

A week of firsts...20 days later

We took a lot of video this week.

At the beginning of the week...we detached the other side of the rogue frog on the RF. It was hanging on by a thread so to speak. It was at the heels. The frog is still there...just not holding the foot in a contracted state any more. It's 'free' from the heels...detached.

His stance and posture continues to look to me like he is experiencing heel pain and not a typical 'founder' stance or walk. After detaching the frog he weighted his heel better and did a stance change. Instead of RF point and LH rest...it was the opposite. First time we seen that.

This whole frog looks like it will peel off...we will keep watching it.

It began as an abscess and now looks like the whole frog will go. Hopefully a new baby frog will come and be 'plump' under it. You can see the abscess hole on the inside bulb. One side of the foot 'let go' and plumped out a bit, opened up a bit...the other side is still locked in. I guess it has been for 'ever'.

Vegas is much calmer after this. Grazing stance is much better after this. Instead of pointing the toe on the leg that is forward he stretches and reaches with his neck and places full weight on the forward leg. He is grazing better, nuzzling Jet, eating with Rico and the rest too.

He moves willingly away from Beta and Daas but sports a face that is NOT impressed. Ears pinned and swishing tail...but moves off. He sticks with the 'babies' and stays with Jet and or Rico.

Rico tries to play with him a lot. He tries to do the lip grabbing game but Vegas takes this as aggression and not play. I'm not sure if he has the social skills to know the difference yet. Rico keeps trying and then Vegas pushes him off with ears pinned and aggressive body language.

I approached him with my whip in hand when feeding time and kept him away from the hay until it was spread. Then went to pet him while he was eating and all was well. Hopefully this food aggression will disappear soon ...but it's getting to be less frequent.

He is probably considered 'pasture sound' for most people now....or very close to others. Some might say that he just 'needs conditioning'. Some look at his color and are completely blown away by his beauty. Some people don't notice the shorter strided 'limpy' RF after seeing him and standing beside him but they can SEE it on the videos. Some don't notice the wobbly hocks and 'upside down' neck...and they look at his expression and 'zest' for life and think that he is fine! His weight is good and his appetite is good and fulfilled. He is learning to live in a social order and to be accepted he must be within it's heirarchy. He is 'fine'.

The thing IS... he really IS 'fine' right now.

It took LESS than ONE MONTH for him to be OK to most people. ??? Why?? It's so Frightening to think that he passed through the hands of many 'top' vets and 'top' farriers.

It is so sad that the owners loved him truly and tried hard to do the right thing by him.... they were under the guideance of the 'top' professionals and followed it right to their end!

I understand that...but I don't understand the vets and farriers and our view of the metal plate we brilliantly named a 'horse shoe' is the best cure all for every ailment. I don't understand why this community is NOT open (for the most part) to the 'facts' of the prevention approach which is what 'equinextion' (to me) is all about. Education and empowerment and global change.

Anyhow...off my soapbox now...

Thought to post a couple pics too. The first one is Vegas (Veggie for short) ;) approaching the rock bed and the second is him on arrival. He totally knew what was coming and chose to try to communicate that he would rather not. Of course he did when asked to and stepped shorter with a tighter body hold until on the other side which is pasture grass again.

Grooming Vegas

Grooming is a big part of recovery in my humble opinion. There are a few ways to groom. One is to simply brush the horse to remove dirt...another is a spa treatment with mane and tail conditioner and thorough grooming and another is 'therapeutic' type grooming. Massaging the body with a soft rubber brush and with the palm and fingers to move larger muscles and stimulate circulation and cleansing.
Vegas' neck is soooooo stiff and has been since he arrived. He does NOT like it touched or massaged. Pins his ears and turns to bite. I try to be soft and just move the muscles a bit and then leave it alone. He stands quietly for the most part and looks distant in his face...like he is shutting us off and dealing with the situation. Not happy, not sad...just there.

We call him 'Fabio' with that mane flowing in the wind! The kids think he is so beautiful and came to see him. He stayed distant. Nick gave him a carrot and he woke right up. FOOD!! :)
Then we let him go and threw in a couple of carrots for him to find. Didn 't seem to know that game....so we taught him to search for the carrots. He liked that.

Of course after the Full spa treatment...he rolled. Good for cracking his back anyhow... :)

Sept 12th 2007

Vegas was more friendly today and was not so hard to catch in the field. Leaving him totally alone to chill and relax for a couple of days does wonders. He feels no threat from us and no return to the building. No other feed other than all the grass hay buffet you can eat...friends and sunshine and moonlight did wonders.
We caught him and took him to the shelter to feed him some carrots and boss and to groom him. We gave him some 'love' in other words. :)

While cleaning his feet and examining them we noticed a sore looking spot on the back of the frog/bulb on the RF. There was a flap, ready to come off. The more we moved it with our hands the whole bulb frog looked like it would peel off....soon. Not today, but soon.

When we fed today...there was NO food aggression towards us or the horses. He respects our 'bubble' and waited for the piles to be placed...like the rest of the herd.
On free lunging (bag flaggin') he kept his place in the line up and ran as a herd. Well he tried to.
On tighter corners...he doesn't get the whole moving like a flock of birds thing and gets bumped by the others...but is trying hard. Every time he tried to pass and Beta gave him the 'face' not to, he listened and hung back.
That's great progress for herd living!!

Because Vegas is chewing ALL the time...eating hay, grazing on small grasses, twigs, leaves...etc...his face is changing. His cheek muscles filled out and his eyes don't look sunken. Part of that is the fat and fibre coming out of his system. His poop looks more normal now...almost there. Less smelly too and more 'diluted' so to speak.
His feet have a much better texture and not so smelly. I trimmed a bunch of horses at another farm today...that were being fed BUCKETS of sweet feed. Boy their feet were smelly!!! Yuck.
Vegas had better feet in texture and smell than these horses.

Just arrived home

Just arrived back from a clinic for four days. Because the horses had a round bale and the help only puts hay in the feeder tires...Vegas was a lot stiffer today that when I left. I went to push them around at a walk for about 20 minutes. He loosened right up and they all decided to go for run too. He looked good...and took the lead several times to the dismay of the rest of the herd who keep their position when being bag flagged. Beta tried to tell him several times to stay behind him, he's the leader in bag flag...he'll get it eventually.

Sprinkled hay all over the field again to get things moving and not 'stalled' haha.

Vegas is a bit of a 'pill' to the others and pins his ears at Jet and Rico when there is new food coming in...even if there is some left over. He feels the need to fight for it...although not as stong as he once was. He's cooling his engines a bit. :) (I think ;) It's only been 11 days.
He doesn't want to be touched. I respect that and stay away from him and just talk to him and walk and pet the others. He doesn't look our way at all still...and if he does it's with an 'evil' look in his eyes. He's probably still hungry in a sense.
One set of horses I had in for rehab...never looked up for weeks from the hay. His system is not feeling satisfied at this point.
I would susect as abscess brewing by the looks of his walk and his face. :(

Filled up the tires and went into the house because it was getting dark.
Daas and Vegas were up at the front with plenty of hay to eat....and as I was 1/2 way to the house when I heard a scuffle. I turned around to see Vegas (15hh) (glowing in the dark) rearing and wrapping his front legs around Daas neck (17.1+hh) and biting him in the neck. :-0

Daas seemed to throw his weight forward to get him off and then turned to kick him when he escaped his hold. He looked insulted and then moved to another place to eat...with a bit of a discussted look on his face.
Uh, perhaps he doesn't feel the peace yet.. haha. Mine, mine....MINE!! is still on his mind.

Life in the pasture...week one 10

Vegas is already acting like part of the 'group'. He will not take no for an answer and is feeling really dependent on being with them. A little separation anxiety. :) He is staying close to the herd and following along with them.
He is not social towards humans right now. He wants to be left alone. He pinned his ears and charged me when I walked in with them all. Because he is new to this whole outside herd and life thing...I carry a whip to keep him out of my bubble. He respects the whip and stays at a safe distance away. He is still angry and hasn't yet come to realize that there is abundance here and that there is no need to fight for every scrap...like a hungry dog.

This kind of behavior does usually only last a couple of weeks when a previously stabled horse is transitioned to natural lifestyle...if it happens at all. I suspect it will be gone soon...can't wait. ;)

At the end of the week, I got in a big round bale because I'll be gone for 4 days on a clinic. Hopefully he'll settle in more without being touched for a while.

The Xray 'report' from the vet 9

Well the vet called to tell that the x rays came out well and that he didn't hold up much hope for Vegas to recover.

He said that he has 10 degrees rotation in the LF and 18 in the RF. He said he has pedal ostitis on both fronts really bad and that the tip of the coffin bone is slightly remodeled in a 'ski tip' type shape.

After looking at the x rays...the vet said that he was much worse than he thought originally on seeing him in person.

Here is the LF x ray... After I looked at both x rays...I could see what the vet was concerned about.

I also see the total misalignment of the bones, not only in the foot but up the leg as well.

I'm sure that after one trim...Vegas was more aligned and able to weight his stay apparatus more evenly.

Another pic of the vet taking x rays to see how he was stood up. In the x ray pic you can also see the frontal wall marked as well as the apex (with a thumb tack)

Sept 1st...Meeting the Boys 8

Today was the day. The day that Vegas needed to be out with the others. He had been in a smaller paddock and not moving as much as he should. He squeeled with joy when the horses approached his fence...and then pinned his ears and acted 'studdy'.

We closed the gate to the back field with the horses out there and let Vegas into the front field again.
The first one in was Rico. They snoofed and Vegas squeeled and then Rico went for water. Vegas followed him...and Rico let him drink out of the 'watering hole' with him.
Next in was Jet. Same kind of thing happened. They went back to the water and drank together again.
Everything was quiet and nice and the young horses were fine with each other immediately.

Next to come in was Daas. He is one of the herd leaders....Beta's body guard. :)
They snoofed and then Vegas turned around and sucker kicked Daas. Daas was a might surprised by the aggression and left him to go and have a drink. The look on Daas' face was shock and disbelief that he was just kicked.

I knew when Beta would come in that there would be words. IF Vegas kicked Beta...Beta would not back down. He would not take this behavior without an intense discussion. I have owned Beta since he was 4 months...and at 23 I have never seen him back down from an aggressive horse.
I was nervous to put him in...but the time came. In comes Beta and right to Vegas who was just kicking out and squeeling at Rico. Beta sprang to action and charged him off of Rico and split them up. "His" herd on one side and Vegas on the other.
Vegas came back for more and charged Beta...who this time spoke to Daas to step in and be his body guard. Daas charged but didn't know what to do when Vegas didn't move off and stood there and screamed and kicked.

By the afternoon the established herd was close nit and kept the pretty boy out of the loop.
By later in the evening...and after spreading hay out all over the place...they were more spread out and eating.
Vegas has to learn that food /hay is abundant here and there is not a need to defend it...it repleneshes itself in cycles. His 13 new 'war wounds' are all bite marks...some deeper than others...all are superficial and will heal up with no scarring.
We take him later and use the 'majic potion' to put on the most open ones.

One weird thing that happened after all this chaos of new introductions was...we got a bunch of hay delivered and went to take the bale wagon down to the field to knock off some loose hay. Beta spun around and kicked Vegas who was trying to attack him.
About 1/2 hour later we went to the field to just hang out with the horses and fed some more loose hay. Beta then nickered at Vegas...twice. It was like he was making peace with him.

Aug 30 2007 Day one post trim 7

Today we did another balancing trim as things shifted over night. Took measurements as well. On one foot there was over 1.5 cm shift to larger in width.

He poses less in 'pain pose' today.

He was in the front paddock and just wondering around this 'new to him' paddock. Before I introduce everyone together I make sure that the new horse will get him time along in the fields so that he can discover it to himself and know where the fence line is as well as being able to smell things and explore without being pushed.

So...he was in the first paddock and exploring and something spooked him and he took off at a gallop and went over the rock alley way. After that he toe walked a bit on the front right.



We took him into the shelter to take pics. The RF bulb was about to burst an abscess. There was some heat present...took pics.

One thing is that when ever we take Vegas inside the shelter...he gets sooo nervous. We joked and said...'don't put me back in there...don't leave me in here'. Being near panic mode, we took him out and stood outside.



One thing I forgot to mention earlier was the bad smell of his poop. It's really slimy and smelly and 'hard' in a way. I suspect that as he eats better and his body detoxes it will return to normal as well.

His body cracks when he walks. Even at a good distance away...you can hear him. He sounds like Rice Krispies...when he's moving.

When he has his head down...his teeth sound not balanced. His cheeks don't look like they chew too much and lack muscling. I suspect that this too shall pass as he finds his was to balance.

Tonight we put him in the big field and kept the others up in the paddocks. He ran alot along side the fence with the others during their bag flag.
His neck and back is so tight that when you touch any part of his neck or back...he pins his ears at you. We keep trying to massage him...and he'll allow it for moment but then it's over. That's ok with us...deep muscle massage can be very uncomfortable.

When it was feeding time...he looked to charge the others...but the fence was in the way. We keep him out of our bubble when feeding. This too shall pass....

The horses were allowed to meet touching over the fence today. Vegas didn't really react much. He was still and allowed them to snoof him all over. When someone went to groom him, he would squeel and spike with his front feet...but didn't move. He was not going to be pushed around.

Pre Trim evaluation 6

Still Aug 29 2007

The vet leaves and asks me not to trim until he develops the x rays to make sure they would turn out. Great idea...but I am dying to trim him. ;)

I took this time to do a thorough pre trim evaluation...and document it. We filmed him walking over rocks and pasture grass. We also took pre trim measurements of his feet as well as thorough photos and video from all angles.

The smell of his feet were aweful and something that doesn't pass through pictures or video. It smelled like cadaver feet. It smelled like death! There was a lot of black greasy necrotic tissue that the hoof pic just slid off of. The strong scent was much like one of those chemical toilets you might see at a fair or something...the blue little boxes! Yuck.

Vegas tried hard to hold himself up on 3 legs, but having to leave his most comfortable pain pose proved almost impossible. He would have a pain spasm and slam his feet down on the ground again. We took things slowly in asking him to lift up his feet and then did a power trim while they were up.
Veggis licked and chewed and yawned a LOT during this process...and for the first time his distant gaze in his eyes focused on us...his ears perked up and he continued to look at what we were doing with his feet and seemed interested and accepting.

The pic below is showing the LF side shot before and during the initial trim. Note the already drastic change in the angle of the bones. An initial trim like this is like having a big chiropractic adjustment...for the better. Movement is KEY after a trim like this...it must be supplied in the free choice manner as well as handwalking on ground that he can handle. He'll not be rock crushing sound yet...;)

After this trim...Vegas was Super friendly with us. He followed us everywhere we went. His eyes were expressive and alert...his lips and face relaxed. He probably felt a huge endorphin rush.

His walking was with much larger steps. His landing was tender as if unsure of where his feet were or were going. In approximately 2 hours post trim...his movement was more confident.

The RF is the most problematic. It had been labelled a 'club' foot for many years already. It is on it's way to becoming 'normal' and healthy.

He was put back in the visitor paddock for the night with the others eating along side of him. Tomorrow is another day. :)

Getting Started...Documenting 5

Aug 29 2007

The vet was called and will come today to do x rays.

After observing Vegas for longer...I would venture a guess of heel pain/navicular over founder...but perhaps both. We shall see. He is always in 'pain pose 101'. Generally it is with the RF forward but sometimes he shifts to the LF forward but spends less time there. His back and hips and loins and neck are all super tight to the touch and he reacts to pressure with aggressive looks with his ears and eyes. After feeling the muscles and seeing the stance...I don't blame him.

The vet arrived and seemed interested in what I was proposing to do with Vegas. He looked at him all over and said he was handsome (nice color) and that he has genetically small feet like many QH's.

Before taking x rays he requested that I cut out the bottom of the foot a bit (sole and frog) to 'clean it up' to get a better reading. I declined. We went ahead and did x rays of both fronts from the side...standing on blocks. I got pics of where the x ray machine was positioned so that we can super impose the pics on one another.

Vet comments: Said his feet were very long in the toe. His hinds needed a good trim but other than that they looked very normal. He did venture a guess that Vegas would never be sound on those fronts. He did the dreaded hoof testers on the fronts. Vegas responded lightly on the RF and not at all on the LF...so the vet went back to the RF and there was no response.

He joked and said "oh, he's not sore now...he's better". ;)

I said that the 'squeeze' must have produced an endorphin rush...he didn't say anything.

He was a bit surprised that this horse was treated at the well recognized veterinary training school in QC and he couldn't believe that they didn't look at the poor shape of his feet and take that into account. He said it's a case of neglect in his eyes...but of course Vegas was not neglected in conventional terms. It's just that this traditional wisdom failed him, on so many levels.

Here are some pics of the x rays poses.

A little history of Vegas 4

Vegas was eating the grasses and still in his halter with his groom that brought him here. She began to talk about his history as she knew it to be.

She expressed love for him and was happy and sad to leave him behind.

It seems he was bought from an online catalogue source for a pretty high price of $10,000 as a two year old. He arrived with signs of founder she said.

He was shod in heart bar shoes like this when he was a tender TWO years old. :-0



This type of shoe is said to increase frog pressure to stimulate growth. (rolling eyes)

Looks to me like it stops things from moving much at all. Looks real comfortable to walk on with immature young feet. The bones in his foot are bound to stop growing in width with a shoe like this.
Problem with that is...the ones above do keep growing in width.

I felt so sad for him.

He just got his shoes off the front feet 2 months ago...and the hinds off 4 months ago.

He was also gelded 5 months ago.

After hearing his entire story, I decided to really do a great documentary and include the vet. I'll get preliminary x rays of both fronts to document boney changes as well.

We took Vegas to the shelter to clean his feet and take pictures and video all around...then we let him out in a large paddock for the night and gave him his first all you can eat buffet of grass hays, some fresh water as well as grazing grass that was in the paddock.

My working student ducked under the fence to take some hay into his paddock. I said...uh don't go in there...and before I got all the words out...it happened.
Veggie attack! He pinned his ears and Ran with vengance towards her and the hay. This sign of food aggression is common in a stabled horse. They have felt hunger many times and are not used to having enough food and want to fight for it when it comes out. I suspect this behavior will decrease over the coming days and weeks. He'll come to understand there is abundance of hays and he'll also be detoxing his system from the meals he used to receive.
In the meantime...he'll eat together across the fence from the others.

My 6 year old daughter was wanting me to take his halter off. She thought that would make him feel better. :)

I told her that tomorrow...after his first night in his new place he would get it off.
I did exchange his nylon halter for a leather one with 'fuzzies' on it. Leather breaks if need be.

He looks up from eating and acts like a stallion calling and showing to the others. The 'boys' look back at him as if to say...'what's wrong with you'? They'll soon teach him how to relax and feel at peace.

Vegas arrives at Equinextion 3

August 28, 2007. This is a day that Vegas will remember, and so will I.
It was a beautiful sunny later summer day. I was anxiously awaiting his arrival and all of a sudden...he was here.

I went outside with my video camera in tow to film him coming off the trailer. As I passed by the open door of the trailer to get into better position with the camera...I smelled it. That familiar smell that I have engrained in my memory...the smell of dead feet. Cadaver feet have the exact same scent that was wafting out of the trailer. Yikes. My heart sank a bit and I wondered what his feet really looked like under there.

Vegas got off the trailer and went for the grass. He looked hungry and my student commented on that. We were assured that he was eating for the entire 3 hour drive.
That's not really what we meant though. It was more like he had been hungry for quite a time. Most stabled horses are. They don't tend to get enough hay/forage and get fed grains and processed feeds instead. The thought process being that they are fed 'meals' of complete feed and the hay is just for munching.
Of course here at Equinextion...we don't feed any processed feeds or grain at all. All the horses get free choice grass hays that are fed spread out to keep them foraging...and of course No more stable for Vegas.
It's a new day for him!!

How Vegas came to Equinextion 2

I started giving some equinextion trimming courses here at my farm in Ontario this summer.
One girl that attended a course in August and has previously attended clinics finished the course and shortly after she went home, I got a phone call from her.
She said there was a horse in dire need at the stable where she boards. The owners spent years chasing lameness and they were 'done' with it. He was going to be euthenized within two weeks.

I was a bit choked. I want to help them all but I did not need another horse to feed, I have four already. I thought that everything happens for a reason so I said I could go and have a look at him as I was going to be in the area the next day. As it turns out...I never made it to the stables...not enough time in the day to do so.
I wondered if they found somewhere else for him to be.
I thought of making a DVD Documentary of his recovery. This could help people to make the connection. To see the process and the progress of this sentenced to death horse right in front of them. To hear the stories that he could tell. I wondered if I could make it work.

Then I got an email...the horse needed help...Now.

"I was told you didn't come yesterday. I just wanted to send you some pictures of Vegas. As I told you, he is only 5 years old. He is an American Quarter Horse (the owners paid a BIG price for him) and he is 15 hands (we measured him). He has a founder history and he limps on and off.
If you want him, someone at the stable is ready to trailer him to your place for no fees. If no one takes him, he is going to be put down real soon. But it may be better to put him down then to have him in wrong hands. Just tell me if you are interested. I understand you may have too many horses... but just let me know of your decision"

She did send some pictures with this email.
As I scrolled through them and cringed from the look of pain in his body and feet...one picture in particular looked right into me. I gave a big sigh, knowing at once that I have to find a way to take him.
His eyes just said he was misunderstood, sad and in pain.
He is only 5 years old...how screwed up could he be?
Being a QH I suspected he grew up mainly in a stall and had his feet bound early (shod at two years old or before). I suspected he didn't get much turnout and certainly never been in a herd in his life. He was a stallion up until 5 months prior...so I assumed he lived the ever so common solitary confinement stallion life that people came to believe is necessary.

I did post on my forum about Vegas and recieved support from people who wanted me to take him...and some that wanted to have him after his rehabilitation period...and I felt that this support combined with a educational documentary it would possible to take him without suffering a divorce...haha.

I made sure that he was donated to equinextion and that he came with the necessary paperwork. I also asked for his medical records...which I didn't receive yet. I hope to get them soon.

I do not know the previous owners...but I do know that they did follow veterinary and farrier advice from one of the countries leading veterinary teaching hospitals. Whatever ended up happening to Vegas was done with the expectation of him getting well and it was done out of love.
They made a decision to give him to me instead of euthenizing him...they gave him one last chance. Vegas says thanks!! :)