I often receive emails asking how MT is doing – really…

So, I thought I’d address that today.

HOW IS MAMA TESS?

You know, for a horse who had no chance of recovery, she is doing exceptionally well!

But for a regular horse, she is not sound… however, her lameness doesn’t seem to hold her back.  She is a happy camper most of the time.

Every single day, she is EARS UP!  No matter if she is stiff or sore, it’s EARS UP!   Her attitude keeps me going, I swear.  She never complains and seems to be quite content with the recovery process.

I’m sure she’d rather be totally healed… but she doesn’t fight any of it.  She seems to know that she has to put in her recovery time.

WHY ISN’T SHE BETTER ALREADY?

As far as her foot, there have been a myriad of complications.  Most of which are new territory because there aren’t too many horses who have tried to come back from this type of injury (acute double founder, sinkage, collapse, coffin bone infection).  So, we take each issue one day at a time.

She has had infections and abscesses.  She has had old pockets of necrotic tissue open as the hoof grows (hence the maggots).  She has had bone pain from the surgery – to be expected.  Her good foot has had stresses…

But never has she given up and after every mini battle, she has continued to recover and rally.

WILL SHE RECOVER?

I don’t know.  I hope so.  It feels like she will…

I think her hoof will always be sensitive and an area to watch, but I think it will grow back.

I also think that she will have some sort of lasting issue – whether it be slight pain or a limp or something.  I’m sure there will be a residual something.

I doubt I will ever let her onto a grassy pasture.  She will be on certain medications and supplements for the rest of her life.

The good news is that since most horses don’t survive this, there is a chance that Tess could really help other horses in the future.  At least I could tell other owners what I did that worked and what I tried that didn’t work – for us.

The bad news is that Tess could potentially not recover.  But, at this stage, she has come so much farther than most horses in her condition, I am very hopeful.

A DAY IN THE LIFE…

To illustrate how normal and happy she is, I took photos while I was feeding tonight.

Here we go!    (I posted these in sequence – exactly as I took them.)

*Please note, her foot is very scary looking (linked here) and is presently full of maggots who are eating the remains (or what I hope to be the remains) of the necrotic tissue in there…  I know many of you were upset to see her foot so opened, but you will see in these photos that she is basically pretty happy.   Other than wanting more food from me and wanting to go out and graze, she is fairly contented and acts like her usual, Queenie self.