Hi Everyone!
It is Sunday and I am still out of town.
I thought I would give you an update on Lucky, our November Bucket Fund filly…
Lucky, our November Bucket Fund filly. She was locked in a stall after being born with horribly clubbed feet.
BAD NEWS, FOR A FEW HOURS…
The first bit of news was that one of the specialists felt that on one foot, her tendons had fused to the bone and that simple surgery wouldn’t help that foot. He thought that it would be best to break Lucky’s foot and reset it.
Ugh.
No one wanted to do that.
For a few hours, I was very upset and worried…
AND THEN I RECEIVED THIS VIDEO OF LUCKY:
I received this extraordinary video from Lori who is housing and working to help Lucky. Lori sent the video because she wanted me to understand how full of life and happy this filly really was – that she deserved to live and that she didn’t appear to know that she was disabled.
Lori had her husband video Lucky at breakfast time. You can hear him asking Lucky if she wants to eat and you see the filly explode with typical teenage horsey antics. She bucks and kicks out. She does a few dance steps and even busts out some cow horse moves.
Huh? How could a horse with her horrible club feet do this?!
Instantly I thought of all the people who think this filly should be put down.
Hmmmm.
Would they feel the same way if they saw Lucky doing this:
Lucky was showing off for the Breakfast man in this video! Click image to watch the video.
Wow! This filly is disabled?
She looks pretty feisty to me!
Or this:
She looks like she can get around pretty well…
Uh hm.
She doesn’t seem to be worried about coming down on those fronts…
I was flabbergasted…
Immediately, I thought of Star. (We helped Star a few months ago…, linked here.)
Clearly, Lucky wasn’t feeling much pain. Clearly, this was a happy horse… It appeared to me, with an untrained and uneducated eye, that maybe Lucky would benefit from prosthetic devices instead of any surgery.
Maybe she didn’t need to be fixed – maybe she just needed to be aided.
So, I asked Star’s owners to speak with Lori. I asked them to commune with Star’s prosthetic maker. I asked them all to put their heads together with the specialists.
Here is the outcome of those discussions as told by Ronnie, who made Star’s devices:
1
2
NO SURGERY! BRACES INSTEAD!
So, the great news is that this filly will not have to endure simple surgery or any other surgery at this time.
Yay!
And, although braces are not simple nor inexpensive (approx $6000), they are being created for her by the same person who helped Star. (Star is now wearing her braces 14 hours a day, is grazing, acting like a regular horses, can trot and canter around and is being spoiled rotten!)
So, if you are one of the people who feel moved by this story, please nod you head in this little filly’s direction or donate your Starbucks money to this sweet and determined filly!
There are few things as wonderful as exuberance. She loves her life and she doesn’t even know how good it could be!
IF YOU’D LIKE TO DONATE TO HELP LUCKY GET HER BRACES, CLICK HERE!
THANK YOU! Click image to donate
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No. No surgery for now. Braces for both legs is the plan.
So will they do surgery on one foot and brace the other?
How will these braces be fitted to her front legs and how do they correctlymove her hoof forward?
The beautful filly. Her story reminds me of my younger sister who was born with Cerebral palsy and the doctors said she would never walk or talk, that she would be wheelchair bound for the rest of her life. My mother refused to believe and by 1 year old she was crawling around like any other healthy baby, by two she was talking and walking, like any other l toddler. My sister is now 21 and has had braces and minor surgery througout her life but is like any other healthy, normal women of her age.
Lucky’s story of hope and rehabilitation brought a tear to my eye as her spirit is like that of my sister’s. A spirit of hope, courage and survival.
Truly Lucky will be like any other horse. And it is most inspirational to see her out in the open air, how a horse should be.
Good luck and all the best for Lucky!! <3 xoxo