Blackwater Farm
Well-Known Member
My filly celebrated her first birthday on April 4th. It was a gorgeous day outside and all was well with the world. I have been preparing her for our next show that's coming up on the 16th, this would have been her third, and she was coming along so well in her training, her health was good and her summer coat was really coming in nicely. I had her in the barn and was doing our daily grooming routine. She was previously unhandled when I got her in mid February so I like to take a little time everyday and have her stand tied and groom her and go over the basics. I have had such great hopes for this filly in the local show ring this year and she has proved to be a contender winning blues in all her classes at her very first show. I gave her some birthday treats and untied her and we headed out to her dry lot so she could romp and play with her daddy (now a gelding) whom she adores! I take her halter off and watch her join her sire in a pile of hay. I like to just stand and watch them sometimes, they truely are beautiful creatures especially in their most natural state. I walked inside to get a drink and some lunch. About few hours or so go by, I was doing various barn chores and such when I happened to walk by their lot again and noticed something odd. I know my horses VERY well, something I pride myself in, and I know when one of them is even the slightest bit off. I watched her for a second and sure enough...there was something I had feared from the moment of her birth. That familiar tenseness in her right hind as she tried to walk off from a halt. Her leg went completely straight back, held stiff for a moment and snapped upwards and then forward as she tried to take a step. Stifle lock... Her mother had it in a very mild form. At the time I had no clue what it was (or that it was hereditary) as it happened very rarely. But I know now, upward fixation of the patella, that's her demon. At that moment as I watched her take several steps forward each one with that same locking jerking motion I saw all our show dreams come crashing down. I'm lucky enough to have a very close friend who is a vet. I took a video with my phone and sent it to her. She immediately called me knowing I would be crushed and let me know what we could do for her. She said there are two options, injections and surgery. We are going to start with the injections and see how that goes, hopefully she won't need any surgery. I know there could be much worse things in this world that could happen to her and Lord forbid she ever have to meet any of them. I just want her to be comfortable and not have to walk in any kind of pain or have to deal with this her whole life as she is just a baby. If you could please tell me, have any of you ever dealt with this before? What were the treatments and the outcomes? Should I continue with light exercise or will this make her painful? Will it last her whole life or is there hope? Yeah it would be nice to show her someday as she is smart and gorgeous and she deserves it but most of all I want her to be healthy. She doesnt exhibit symptoms everyday but it is most days. She stays turned out all day only being stalled at night to eat and we have alot of wild dogs around. If she trots around a while she seems better also, it's only from a standstill. I would have thought that it would be worse in the morning when I first take her out of her stall but it's usually more prevalent in the afternoon. Thank you all so much for any advice and you know I welcome it all with open ears and an open heart.