Esperanza

3/17/12 Update:

Esperanza is continuing to improve. Jamie Osbrink fitted her with new pads and shoes last week and she is doing great! We have had to cut back on her food a bit as she is all filled out! She finally got to be turned out this week and really enjoyed her time playing with Big Red. They are great friends. She is still slightly off on right front and with the change in angles, coupled with the deep abscess she had, our veterinarians are not concerned about it. They believe she will continue to improve and we should be able to start light riding in the next 2 weeks or so. Light riding is the most she will ever be able to do, but this will suit us just fine!

[Fostered by Ann]

2/6/12 Update

Well, Esperanza was supposed to be going to her new home on 1/28/12. However, I noticed she was “off” on her right front foot a couple of days before and made an appointment to have her checked by Dr. Nelson. By the time of our appointment two days later, she was a 4/5 lame and in incredible pain. Our initial though was abscess.

Dr. Nelson examined her foot and searched for an abscess, but we were unable to locate one. She instructed us to soak and wrap he foot and she would re-check it in a few days. This was on Friday. By Sunday, she was worse on the highest doses of pain medication she could have. I called Dr. Nelson again and she came out as an emergency on Sunday. We did further diagnostics, including blocking the foot and x-rays. We did find that Esperanza has extremely flat coffin bones and only minimal space between the bone and sole of her foot. This will require special shoes with pads for protection in the future and she will only be able to be ridden lightly. However, it still did not explain the pain.

Dr. Byerly checked her again Tuesday and still no diagnosis. By now, we were worried about the “good” leg and foot breaking down because of bearing all of the weight. I had to switch her to a very expensive pain medication because her stomach could not tolerate the high doses of Bute any longer.

Finally, on Thursday, our farrier, Mark Thomson was able to locate an abscess and relieve her pain … AND MINE! It had needed some time to soften and come to a head. It had us all worried sick, but now she is on the road to recovery.

Her adoptive interest decided not to adopt her after we diagnosed her coffin bone issue. We are pleased to say that she will remain with Marley’s Mutts as a horse we will use with the RISE program and here, for children to enjoy. We believe this was meant to be and we couldn’t have BOUGHT a better horse for this purpose. A horse with her mind and attitude is priceless!

1/26/12 Update:

We rode Esperanza this week and she was perfect. She is doing great in the cold under her cozy blanket. She enjoyed a “free day” roaming the property at her leisure. It was so satisfying to watch her run and buck and play! We finally gave up trying to read her tattoo correctly. No two people, including three veterinarians, come up with the same number. It is very faded and has several tiny veins running through it. It really doesn’t matter what her past is though, she is an amazing mare with a bright future. She will be our first adoption. She is being adopted by one of the girls that cared for her at Animal Control. We will be taking her to her new home Saturday.

Update 1/16/12: Esperanza is such a trusting soul. She will let you do absolutely anything with her….from doctoring her back foot untied, to a preg check with no sedation….and even letting the kids jump and climb on her. Esperanza is the definition of willing. She is putting on weight too. Hopefully we will have her info from the Jockey Club very soon. Esperanza got her feet trimmed this week, and it was no suprise that she was the perfect lady. Nadine and John enjoyed making her beautiful on Saturday…..I am positive that Esperanza enjoyed it as much as they did. Her abscess is healing and we should be able to ride her in another week or two. Can’t wait.

Esperanza is a 16-year-old bay Thoroughbred mare. She has been tattooed, which means she was once a race horse. We are going to look her up through the Jockey Club and see if we can find out her lineage, race record, etc.

She is about 16 hands and still thin from her ordeal. She was a stray in Bakersfield. As you can see in the photo, she clips and has not given us one single problem about anything. She is still recovering from a severe hoof abcess in her right rear foot, but other than that, appears perfectly sound. She is going to make someone a great horse!

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