“I went out to feed my horses December 14, 2020 around 4 p.m. since it gets dark by 5. I fed quickly but noticed that one of the geldings, Colter, didn’t join his herd mates for dinner. A quick glance around found him at the water trough. As he turned to come to the group, I noticed he was favoring one front leg and as he approached, it was obvious why. His left front leg from the knee to the hoof was a bloody mess. The corrals were snow covered with mud showing through where the horses congregated. The long winter hair on Colter’s leg had mud, snow, and hay mixed in with the blood. I quickly put in a call to my vet and explained what I had found. He had me take some pictures so he could assess whether to come out or transport the horse to the clinic. He immediately said to bring him in. I called a friend to help with transporting.
We got Colter to the clinic, which was now closed but my vet was waiting for us. He administered a sedative since the leg needed to be cleaned and shaved. It was not pretty!! The skin was broken in many places with some deeper cuts. The worst cut was about 3-4 inches at the coronary band. The vet disinfected the wounds and began bandaging, starting at the knee and ending in wraps around the hoof. Several layers later, Colter was putting his full weight on the leg. There was no tendon or ligament damage so the prognosis was hopeful. Colter remained at the clinic for nearly 3 weeks since I had no box stalls where he could be kept quiet and clean. I went to the clinic daily to check on him! A vet tech friend took progress pictures that were amazing!
When I was finally able to bring Colter home, I was able to make a 12×12 foot pen under my hay shed, using corral panels. He had lots of shavings for bedding and I began a feeding program using Life Data Farrier’s Formula Double Strength along with a calming supplement mixed with hay pellets. I had used Farrier’s Formula successfully on a variety of horses previously for various hoof issues so I was hoping it would work some magic and Colter wouldn’t have a malformed hoof the rest of his life. My vet came out weekly to check the healing progress and re-bandage the leg. Healing was amazing, to say the least. By late August, there were only a few small scars and Colter’s hoof looked completely normal!!
The pictures tell the story well. Colter is completely sound on the leg. I did keep a lightweight shipping boot on it the first 2 summers for protection from flies. I credit Farrier’s Formula for the hoof healing without even a scar at the coronary band and no malformation as the hoof grew out. I also credit my vet for his willingness to come out whenever Colter needed a new bandage, and my farrier for keeping Colter’s feet level as the injured hoof grew out. Colter didn’t let the small pen keep him from playing so he needed a re-bandage often during the first weeks at home.
I was never able to find where in the pen he did the damage. There were no blood covered rails on any of the panels.”
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