# Abused pony in Vladivostok, Russia. Need help!.



## Kvazar

Hellow to everyone.

My name is Anna, i'm 26 and I live in Vladivostok, Far East of Russia.
I own a horse, 15-year old stallion. He is not rideable, but I still love him.

Last winter in our city strange pony has appeared.:shock:
Obviously, he is disabled, probably from his birth. And he can't work.
I've tried to bought him, but the owner asked to much money and I couldn't afford it... =(

Couple of months ago I found this pony in a city park. He was ridden by kids for money :evil: :evil: :evil:
He walked harder than ever before.
He was injured (it looks like bitten by a horse).
In your place I guess somebody would call in humane organization or somewhere else. But here we don't have this kind of organization, and police doesn't work with such cases =( If you want to help abused animals here, go and help yourself. (I own now a cat, two kittens - one is bitten by dog (broken leg), another is bitten by "human" (broken jaw), and one dog, and I try to find new families for them myself)
So I've bought it for my own money (it cost 500$ then). And now... I don't know what to do. :sad:
We don't have good horse vets and professional farriers here, horse clinics or something like this. I know it sounds strange, but it's true. 
So I've decided to ask for help. I want this pony stayed alive and was happy. So I'm looking for some proffessionals who can help me with this pony. Some online cosultation or something like that? I agree to work with this pony (I'll send his blood for blood test in a couple of weeks to laboratory that works with equine's blood and it doesn't matter for me that the closest lab in Russia is 5000 miles away from us. If x-rays are needed, I guess it will be possible in a dog's clinic), I'll find money for it's treatment, but I need somebody who knows what to do.

So, if you know somebody who can help PLEASE let me know.
Any contacts, links etc. apreciated.

Pony:
Pony 1st of July 2011 pictures by AnnaVolokho - Photobucket






He is not beautiful, he is sick, now he is very agressive with people, but he wants to live very much

Senserely,
Anna.

P.S.: sorry about my English, I don't I know it well.
So if I wrote something incomprehensible feel free to ask.


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## Indyhorse

Hi Anna and welcome to the forums!



Poor little pony. He really looks like he's had a rough time. I don't know there is much any of us can do to help, but I am sure there are many people on this board that would be willing to at least try and offer suggestions.

The video gives us a good idea of how badly he is moving, but we can't really see enough to try to pinpoint where a problem may lay. Is there any way you are able to get closer still pictures of him, close ups on his legs or feet etc? It looks vaguely from the video like there is something really wrong with that front right, but I can't get a clear enough view to tell if it's a huge hoof, fetlock, or what is going on there.

And I think you write english pretty well. I could understand you just fine. :lol:

ETA, nevermind, just saw you had a link to pictures above the video. Somehow missed that before posting. Going to look them over now.


Whoa, wow. That has to be about the most severe club foot I have ever seen. 

The bite wounds aren't OVERLY concerning. They are bad, but as long as you keep them clean they should heal up fine.

The feet need some serious attention all the way around, but that club foot in particular might well keep him from ever being anything remotely sound. 

It might be worth an attempt to see if you can get him comfortable with working on those feet....but I'm not 100% certain if that's the kindest thing to do for him or not.

To start with, his feet need attention straight away. I would make sure you are keeping him on a light, grain free diet. He shouldn't need anything but hay, and you don't want to do anything to make those feet worse.

I know you said you don't have professional farriers around, but what kind of access do you have to someone who CAN work on his feet?


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## bubba13

Pretty much ditto everything on Indyhorse.


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## bubba13

I'm seeing congenital deformity (perhaps something to do with dwarfism?) which has led to mangled legs. Looks like arthritis in the knees and hocks. Then there's that awful club foot. That means problems with the deep digital flexor. You'll be able to do a little for the club foot, but not much. Getting the length off the regular hooves will bring some relief. Get him on some kind of pain med, and you might be able to buy him some time of quality life. I don't know. He's pretty messed-up. But if you don't want to euthanize him right from the start, and since you've already got him, if you've got the money and tiem to invest you might as well try. Pity you don't have any good veterinarians or farriers around you. Here in the US, someone might even donate their services to help as he's such a special case. If you can find someone to trim his hooves, these guys might be able to advise you how to go about it: The Farrier & Hoofcare Resource Center Forums - Powered by vBulletin

Good luck and bless you for trying.


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## Kvazar

> That has to be about the most severe club foot I have ever seen.


Me either. =(



> The feet need some serious attention all the way around, but that club foot in particular might well keep him from ever being anything remotely sound.
> It might be worth an attempt to see if you can get him comfortable with working on those feet....but I'm not 100% certain if that's the kindest thing to do for him or not.


I will try to do my best for him. I don't expect he can be absolutely normal. I want to try to make him live comfortable walking and grazing in a paddock without any work. 



> To start with, his feet need attention straight away. I would make sure you are keeping him on a light, grain free diet. He shouldn't need anything but hay, and you don't want to do anything to make those feet worse.


Done! He eats only hay right now as much as he can eat. 
He's got problems with his teeth. We will try to fix them this weak.



> I know you said you don't have professional farriers around, but what kind of access do you have to someone who CAN work on his feet?


Of course we have people who works here with hoof. But I can't call them "farriers". One day they have just decided to make money this way. They don't have education, just experimental experience. They work only with healthy hooves, and most of horse owners don't satisfied with results. Contracted heels, sheared heels, unbalanced hooves are regular cases here. One day I understood that feet of my horse is not OK. Farrier told me it's OK for this horse (he couldn't walk on the hard ground for a five years, his sole was absolutely flat) and he would be lame till the and of life. So I took hoof rasp myself and tried barefoot trim (thanks to internet and articles written by professionals). Our hooves are not perfect now, but much better then ever. And stallion can walk on hard ground now. 
But still I have no idea how to work with a club foot of this pony =( And farrier told me to kill the pony =( We will improve situation with his hind feet, but I have no idea about his front feet. According to books I have and articles in internet it looks like "contracted tendons". Pony can't bent his right knee at all. The left knee can bent just a little bit. He can't trot or canter, he sleeps with a straight front legs like a dog.

Тhanks for paying attention.
​


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## Sunny

Oh, wow. Those pictures broke my heart. Poor little man.
Those feet, and those hocks.....bless his heart.
:-(
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Kvazar

bubba13 thanks a lot for reply and link.


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## DrumRunner

Oh wow..That's awful..People who do that kind of thing just make me furious..

It seems like you are already doing a good job of starting him off and I have to say that you are a great person for taking on something like this. It's sad to see things like this but I know it's happening everyday. I can't really tell you anything that Indy didn't point out but I hope things work out for you and the little guy. 

On another note, Welcome to the forum and keep in touch so we can follow his progress and help where we can. Good Luck!!


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## manca

Poor guy  I hope he'll be fine in time.
Good luck


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## Indyhorse

Kvazar said:


> We will improve situation with his hind feet, but I have no idea about his front feet. According to books I have and articles in internet it looks like "contracted tendons". Pony can't bent his right knee at all. The left knee can bent just a little bit. He can't trot or canter, he sleeps with a straight front legs like a dog.


I think posting on the site Bubba recommended might be a good idea. 

I trim my own horses feet, but I wouldn't dream of trying to give you any tips on your little guy. I'm not nearly experienced enough with problems like that.


I think it's a good idea to be mindful of the tendons, because that will be a big part of how you trim, you can't take all that excess off very fast, just baby steps to try to let that tendon relax down - and it may well not relax at all. 

Good on you for trying to help the poor thing.


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## kitten_Val

Welcome to the forum!

Knowing situation in Russia I'm not surprised. I feel very sorry for the pony as well as for you (as there are no resources there really to help). The pony definitely needs professional help and learning yourself while not impossible is quite hard, especially with such tough case. I'd give it a try, but there is a possibility you'll have to put him down (sorry if it sounds harsh). 

Here are some resources, however most are in English...  

Bare Foot Horse --> here we go with russian version!  Ñòàðûé Äðóã - Çäîðîâüå è ñîäåðæàíèå 

Iron Free Hoof


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## bubba13

I took the liberty of posting your information on another forum. The resident professional farrier replied, and this is what he had to say:

_Given that the owner has shared that neither veterinary or professional farrier services are available in her area, there is sadly little or nothing beyond humane euthanasia that can be done in this case.

The congenital defects, combined with years of poor hoof care, have left this pony with insurmountable challenges. 

The hind end could be dramatically improved with a proper trim but the damage due arthritis is already evident and permanent.

The congenital defects in the forelimbs cannot be corrected. There are orthotics that could be applied that may allow the horse to move more easily but it is unlikely he would ever be completely pain free. 

If the owner wanted to ship him stateside, I might give it a go as a project but only if the pain could be significantly reduced. Step one would be a proper trim followed immediately by a DDFT tenotomy and rail shoes on the front.

Given the circumstances provided, the owner should probably put the horse down.
_
_This is just a cross bred pony. Probably has some eastern steppe pony in it. The head doesn't have the bulbous shape of true miniature dwarfs.

Either way, the limb defects are largely congenital with a mix of added damage due poor farriery care. 

To offer any help at all would require radical changes to the trim and some pretty serious orthotics/surgery up front.

The hinds were left far too long and the trim attempt makes the imbalance much worse. You could easily and safely remove nearly half that hoof length and better balance the hinds. If done correctly, the immediate relief on the hocks would be dramatic.

The front feet are a different story, particularly the right front. Subluxation of the pastern and probably the DIP joints. Massive medial/lateral imbalance associated with limb conformation. 

A tenotomy would release the DDFT tension and allow the right fore to be trimmed and balanced in the D/P plane. Orthotics would be required to address the serious M/L issues. Even then, it's a management protocol, not a cure.

The only thing he has going for him is his small mass. There's more hope for these little guys because there is less mass to distribute across available surface area. The trick is in getting that surface area balanced under the deformed limb. That means putting surface area where the foot can't go. This is a huge advantage that farriers have over just a barefoot trim. We can create support well beyond the natural perimeter of the foot and move load distribution anywhere we want it. 

Won't matter anyway. The owner has already indicated there are no professional quality services available. Even shipping is limited. She would have to find a way to get the horse to Japan first. From there, shippers are available to transport the pony to just about anywhere in the world. The cost would be extremely prohibitive.

Find a way to get the pony from Russia to Dr. Reddens facility in Versailles Kentucky and it might have some small chance at being pasture comfortable. Not sound, but possibly comfortable enough to live out it's life at a walk. 

Would probably run around $15,000 to transport the horse here and pay for the vet and farrier fees.

Having a farrier go there would cost transportation, board and service fees of $500 per day. Probably around $9,000 total.

In this world, whether human or animal, money often decides our quality of life or even if we get to live at all. Kinda sucks, but that's the way it is. Last I heard, Bill Gates has around $40 Billion sitting around. Someone like him could make things happen for this pony. Short of that, his future doesn't look good.
_
_* * *_
_ 
_None of which sounds very hopeful. But given that he *does* yet have spirit and spunk, and that he's not reluctant to walk and doesn't quite seem to be in excruciating pain...I think whatever you can do will be noble and helpful. Starting with a reasonable hoof trim. Just see where you can get with the resources available, and I think he'll let you know when it's time...


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## loosie

:-( I so commend you for taking on this horse! You have my utmost respect for this! 

Unfortunately I agree with what Bubba's farrier said tho :-( Afraid that even if the probs were originally 'fixable' by a *good* hoof care practitioner & vet, whatever you can offer now, even assuming very good professional care, is likely too little, way too late. Maybe worth a try, but I wouldn't consider it fair to allow the poor boy to live in pain for much longer, so if you can't get him comfortable soon(permanent painkillers likely being a necessary part), the kindest thing you can probably do is put him down. Can't believe this boy's also been allowed to keep his balls too! If they bred him, that's another criminal offense IMO... but there's no accounting for some animal breeders!


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## kitten_Val

loosie said:


> Can't believe this boy's also been allowed to keep his balls too! If they bred him, that's another criminal offense IMO... but there's no accounting for some animal breeders!


loosie, it's RUSSIA, not US (Canada, whatever). People look very differently on fixing animals there. Keeping cats, dogs, horses untouched is quite a norm in many countries.


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## loosie

kitten_Val said:


> loosie, it's RUSSIA, not US (Canada, whatever). People look very differently on fixing animals there. Keeping cats, dogs, horses untouched is quite a norm in many countries.


OK, did discount that point...:lol:


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## weefoal

he is a dwarf and a fairly severe one at that. 

Here we have a person that makes magic shoes that can help many but if you do not have access to a farrier that will not help. But maybe you can get more info? 

Little Magic Shoes

Keep in mind they also suffer other issues. 

Chronic sinuitis is common in dwarfs as they can inhale feed into the sinuses causing an infection. 

Early onset arthritis. 

URI infections

Be very wary of ever sedating him as dwarfs do not do well at all with sedation. 

They often have a soft pallette (collapsing trachea etc) issues that makes putting an air way in impossible


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## JustLopeIt

You should get him checked by an equine vet or someone who knows a lot about horses could possibly give you an over- view. If you were willing to let him go, You could search for non- profit equine rescues. They will take the horse and nurse him back to health then adopt him into a permanent home. Or you could ship him over- seas to a vet or equine rescue. It may be costly but the ASPCA could give you a grant.


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## kitten_Val

JustLopeIt said:


> You should get him checked by an equine vet or someone who knows a lot about horses could possibly give you an over- view. If you were willing to let him go, You could search for non- profit equine rescues. They will take the horse and nurse him back to health then adopt him into a permanent home. Or you could ship him over- seas to a vet or equine rescue. It may be costly but the ASPCA could give you a grant.


JustLope, it's Russia. There are not too many eq vets there, as well as rescues (if any), and there is no ASPCA (or grants) either. :wink:


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## ilovemyPhillip

I want him to be shipped to the states!! Is that a possibility?


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## Allison Finch

You have 15,000.00 to spare? sadly, that is about what it would take in vetting, permits, shipping and initial farrier bills.


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## MacabreMikolaj

I just have to say, I almost teared up seeing those photos and not a lot bothers me. You are a true angel, of the purest spirit, to do such an incredibly kind deed for this little pony. Although euthanasia is probably best, I am sure living out his days in your paddocks will still be 10x better then the life that awaited him until his eventual death probably sooner than later.

I agree with others, I would attempt to locate the best "farrier" you can, or even try it yourself. As terrible as it sounds, it doesn't seem like there's a lot you could do to make him worse if you're careful. If you've done your own hooves before, you know the basic do's and don't. It's probably better than being left, or being touched by someone who doesn't know/care.

Just a word of warning, we have a club footed Miniature and an idiot farrier who claimed she catered to all horses feet and then trimmed every one of ours like halter Quarter Horses actually made him bleed. She tried to cut into the foot the same as a normal foot, but obviously due to the natural excess length and structure it doesn't work that way. However, she went HARD on the foot and didn't even play with it, she'd obviously never dealt with club foot before.

Another reason why it may be best to do some research and try it yourself. Give yourself plenty of time and go as slow as you can!


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## aspin231

I don't have any advice to offer, but please keep us updated, and good luck.


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## Kvazar

Haven't been here for a while...
Two horses and pony with problems are too much for one me. =)))
So today is holiday in Russia and everybody has a day off including meeee ^^
And I have time to tell you about little immortal pony from the edge of the world.


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## sommsama09

Subbing


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## Kvazar

kitten_Val said:


> loosie, it's RUSSIA, not US (Canada, whatever). People look very differently on fixing animals there. Keeping cats, dogs, horses untouched is quite a norm in many countries.


Well... I can't completely agree with that.
Yes, maybe Russia is not the most modern and civilized country in that point of view but... We got used here that nobody (I mean like government, rich people etc.) will do something for us except.. us  
So many young people (elder people are still very conservative  ) try to make the life around them better.
I have two cats living with me, both castrated ('fixed'? Is 'fixed' in English mean castrated animals?).
All the sick, dyind and simply poor female dogs and cats (both female and male) I found at the streets were 'fixed' by me (not exactly me, by vets of course, i mean for my money). All of my friends fixed they cats and most of dogs. In our stable we don't have untouched small animals (4 dogs and 3 cats) and the most stallions in our stable are not stallions anymore... :lol:

Oh, and pony will become a gelding in about three weeks :wink:

P.S.: I hope my English doesn't eat your brain :shock:


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## DraftyAiresMum

Your English is wonderful, Kvazar. 

My parents spent a year and a half in Rostov, Russia. From what they said, animals were treated relatively well and many were fixed (and yes, "fixed" in English means castrated  ).


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## sommsama09

Didnt haVE TO TIME TO READ: but did you rescue him  sorry bout caps - at school gtg


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## Endiku

Those have got to be some of the worst limbs and feet I've ever seen. You are an absolute angel to of given him a second chance. How is he doing?


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## Kvazar

Indyhorse said:


> I think it's a good idea to be mindful of the tendons, because that will be a big part of how you trim, you can't take all that excess off very fast, just baby steps to try to let that tendon relax down - and it may well not relax at all.


That's what I choose. Thanks, Indyhorse... a lot ^^



bubba13 said:


> I took the liberty of posting your information on another forum.


Thanks. It was really interesting for me to read this post...

Btw, we don't have a 'humane euthanasia' here. Only knives, saws and axes...

*weefoal*, brilliant post #16 :shock:
I haven't seen dwarfs ever before... Why do they born like that?
Is there many dwarfs among ponies and horses?
I've seen our pony's parents, they are normal shetlands. :?



JustLopeIt said:


> Or you could ship him over- seas to a vet or equine rescue. It may be costly but the ASPCA could give you a grant.


In July I sent e-mails to some experts and organizations. ASPCA is the only one who completely ignored me ))))))))


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## Endiku

This pony actually does not look like a dwarf to me when I really look at him. The deformed legs make you think that he is at first, but he doesn't seem to have all of the normal characteristics of a dwarf. His head is now bulbous...it's actually probably the only normal thing about him. His spine appears to be slightly mishapen, but not to the degree that I'm used to.

A dwarf horse is a classification of deformed miniature horse or pony. Their legs are less than half of the length that they should be, which is the most prominent characteristic. They also often have mangled, deformed limbs (such as your pony's), tend to have rounded, bulbouse heads, underbites, curved spines, and in severe cases, very weak digestive systems and organs, or hindered nasal passages. Dwarf horses are the result of inbreeding and the race to breed smaller and smaller horses. Dwarfism can skip many generations at a time, and reappear in the offspring of a carrier, meaning that even if your pony's parents are fine, they may of still given him the active gene for dwarfism.

The most common dwarves are brachycephalic dwarves, who's middle third portion of the head is abnormally flat and low, and who has enlarged joints, a short neck, and extremely short limbs. These dwarves are considered less 'sever' than Achondroplasic dwarves, which causes a defect in cirtilage and bone formation, short limbs, and often internal problems. Achondroplasic dwarves rarely live normal, pain-free lives.

here is a fairly good, accurate site on dwarfism in horses.
Dwarf Horses

We actually own a achondroplasic dwarf, named Little Feather. He's thirteen, and has undergone two different surgeries to free up his nasal passage and to partially correct his feet. 

You can find pictures of him here: http://www.horseforum.com/horse-pictures/little-feather-dwarf-mini-87891/


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## Kvazar

Endiku, very interesting information and links.


Endiku said:


> underbites, curved spines


Its about him =((


Endiku said:


> and in severe cases, very weak digestive systems and organs, or hindered nasal passages.


:shock: :shock: :shock:
I hope its not our case....


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## bubba13

Future reference on humane euthanasia, even if you can't get a vet to do it, if someone has a gun and knows the proper place to shoot a horse (you draw an X between the eyes and ears, and aim at the center--so shooting well above the eyes to target the brain), you can do an instantaneous, pain-free kill. But you must know exactly what you're doing, because you sure don't want to miss....


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## Kvazar

So, back to pony.
Didn't know anything about his real name, so now he is Mister Pony. Sound pretty proudly to me 

I found one farrier in our place who knows something about problem hoofs. He told me to put pony down. Our vet (she lives and works in Moscow) told me to put that farrier down. Hehe, russian humor, i love it))

So about hoofs the vet recommend me the same as MacabreMikolaj. It can't be worth, is it?
So I took a rasp and went with baby steps (i love how this sound: "baaaa-byyy steeeeeps"). 
Hind hooves: were trimmed with H.Strasser method for laminitis hooves.
Left front: trim it in according with sole level. Don't want to change everything about it because pony uses this leg much more then right front. So I'm afraid to change both of his front hooves at the same moment.
Right front: rrrr... The most scaring for me was that he couldn't go downhill - his right front hoof was like a ball - round, and his pastern fell forward every step (i know there is a name for this, i even know it in russian, but in english... =((((( ). So the first aim was to stop it... 
Since I can't shoeing horses, I chose very hard ground for him to walk.

Teeth. Was awful. He is underbites + never seen toothrasp or dentist. When he chewed there was the sound like he was eating stones :shock:
Partially fixed them with my friend (shes got VERY strong arms ), the vet will finish the work this month.

Could he bite people like a giant termite because of discomfort in his mouth?
After his meeting with toothrasp he stopped biting. Himself. At all. :shock:
Now he is safe even for kids. Now he is an angel, loves grooming, scratching and hugs O_O

I'll try now to post some pics...


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## LittleZeasel

I wish you all the luck for this little guy!


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## Kvazar

LF









RF









RH









Pics was taken 3 weeks ago.


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## LittleZeasel

Those are actually starting to look like real hoofs again! Great job on the improvement. How is he walking now? 
I hope he'll keep on improving under your care! Well done 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Kvazar

In summer we took pony to the beach and he liked to swim a lot.
I guess he doesn't feel pain or discomfort in his legs in a water :think:




























Sometimes he's galloping (I really can't understand how :shock: )


















With a friend...


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## LittleZeasel

I love that last picture. Awesome mane!!! And yey for the canter. Who'd have thought it!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Kvazar

LittleZeasel said:


> How is he walking now?
> I hope he'll keep on improving under your care!


I cant say he walks much much better.
But he improved with his front for sure, and he can go downhill now without falling and stumbling


Oh, btw... Rick Redden agreed to comment our x-rays and maybe even recommend something. So now I'm looking for a place to make them.


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## bubba13

How'd you get in contact with Rick Redden?

But excellent job all around, all the same.


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## AlexS

You have done a wonderful job with him, congratulations, you should be really proud of yourself.


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## AKBarbWire

Amazing pony & amazing caretaker! You have done a wonderful job!


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## Kvazar

bubba13 said:


> How'd you get in contact with Rick Redden?


NANRIC INC. - Consultation


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## Endiku

I'm utterly amazed. When looking at before and afters, his feet almost appear to be from a different horse. There are still obviouse problems, but you've improved them _so_ much. I wouldn't of thought it to be possible to bring him even as far as you have, and here you two are. I'm actually starting to think there is some hope for him; and you're doing an amazing job at utilizing what few resources ARE available to you. His life has improved a thousand times over, and those pictures are just darling. He does appear to be having quite a fun time at the beach! You should be very proud of yourself.


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## Sunny

You have done a phenomenal job!
He is looking great. 

I agree with Endiku, you should be extremely proud of yourself.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## amp23

You've done a great job with him! He looks much better and happier. Love the pictures of him swimming and with his friend


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## THN

I just found this thread today and my goodness is it an inspiration. That little pony looks so happy in the after pictures and WOW now that is a mane that would make my haflinger jealous.



bubba13 said:


> How'd you get in contact with Rick Redden?


Bubba13 shes Russian that's how. lol


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## Kvazar

THN, :thumbsup: :lol:

But I feel so horrible. Not Rick. Ric


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## Tayz

Wow looking at this thread Im truly amazed, you must be the most amazing person on earth, even when everyones told you to put him down, youve poured your heart and soul into it and for the I look up to you. You have my respect. This guy is soo lucky to have you and he looks sooo happy now its great!


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## palominolover

WOW,,, That's about all I can say. What a HUGE transformation. You've done an excellent job with him =)


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## MySerenity

I'm so amazed at the difference. I work on my own horses feet so I know that doing even normal feet can be a challenge! What you have done is stunning. What a lucky little man to have found you! Thank you for sharing your story with us (and the pictures). Keep us posted when you have time!


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## Kashmere

I went from being sad to happy!
What a change!

I'ù so glad you were able to do this! I'm glad you gave him a second chance, and to enjoy life now!

Kudos to You!


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians

WOW, that little guy went from being the most messed up pony I've ever seen to almost looking normal. What a change! And it's obvious he feels better and is actually having fun swimming. That last picture with his friend, he's practically got a grin on his face. GREAT JOB!


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## anndankev

Dear Kvazar,
You are an angel.


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## muumi

wow, you are amazing! you have given that little pony such a precious gift, and its so clear from the pictures how happy he is... this story really made me tear up a little.


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## KatieQ

I think you have done a wonderful job with this little guy! The first pics of his deformed legs made me think of rickets immediately- especially since he was obviously poorly cared for and neglected/abused. But it's great that you have brought him this far and also given him the opportunity to feel loved and cared for, perhaps for the first time in his life. You deserve some sort of award, I think!


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## Lins

Incredible. People like you give me and many others inspiration to be better people. You are an amazing person, your little pony looks so very happy now!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## ridergirl23

You are amazing. I started crying at the very beginning of this thread when i saw the pictures of him, and when everyone said put him down. Now I am crying because I'm so happy you did that. You should be so so so proud, He looks so happy. Hearing his story and seeing the improvements is truly amazing. Great Job is an understatement.


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## Gilly

You've done such an amazing job, Kvazar. You should be incredibly proud of what you've achieved with this little guy. 

My eyes are welling up from happiness and warm fuzzies.


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## kitten_Val

Congrats! It's an amazing change!


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## SadieMyBaby

I know I'm a little late, but that is AMAZING! I really hope to see more pictures of him in the future. And you, you are an angel


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## whispering willow

Awww poor guy   I wish him luck


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## Kvazar

Okay, some bad news.

Couple of month ago our Pony unexpectedly started to loose his weight =(
So we have changed his feeding a bit. Now he eats hay, wheat bran 150 gr per day (150 gr = 0,3 pound), vegetables 1-1,5 pounds per day, probiotics and intestines supplement. Getting better each day. But I needed to know what's wrong with him, so I've sent his blood to blood test to Moscow (5000 miles away from us). And his blood test is bad =(( so we're waiting recommendations from vet to make things better.

Last month we took Pony to dogs clinic (vets were shocked) and took x-rays of his legs. Actually there are first x-rays of equine legs in our city (and state I think=))) ). 
(I made the same before with my horse but in human's hospital - it's a long and very funny story))))))
Here his x-rays with photos. X-rays are not perfect, projections somewhere are awful, but it's the best we could do for our first time. I hope next time will be better.

Mr. Pony
Left Front
Left Hind
Right front
Right hind


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## Kvazar

Bad news always come together with good news to optimist people :lol:

We finished personal mini paddock for our mini pony =))
Now he can be outside for all day long (It's a huge problem in our city to find a place where horse could walk all day long :-( )
He definitely feels happy about that ^^
Of course there is a lot of work in his mini paddock, but it's better then nothing.

He still doesn't feel disable or sick. He's insolent, smart and very agile little monster :lol:

We invited our local TV channel to show him to people. I wanted to show that he is very sick, he was ridden kids, he walk hard, and very miserable poor thing in general. And... I couldn't catch him for a long time :shock: And when I finally caught him, he couldn't stay still and tried to play with me :shock: I guess reporters haven't believed in his disability :lol: :lol: :lol:

Unfortunately, report is in russian and for now I have only poor quality version but there is a Mr. Pony, so you can have a look if you want.
P1490757.MOV - YouTube

P.S.: About black stallion in this vid I will tell you later, when I get videos and photos I need. It's a very sad story.


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## bubba13

Do you happen to know what his bloodwork showed?


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## NorthernMama

Wow, just WOW! It is absolutely amazing what you have done with and for this pony. He is one very lucky pony to have met you. Congratulations on what you have achieved. You will always remember Mr. Pony -- when you are a little old lady you can tell your great-grandchildren about him!


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## Kvazar

bubba13 said:


> Do you happen to know what his bloodwork showed?


I have results, but I don't know what they mean and vet haven't send me a letter yet.
complete blood count (google translate said)) )









biochemical blood









If here somebody know anything about bloodwork, I can try to translate left column.
2 column - units
3 column - pony's result 
4 column - average value for the species


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## bubba13

Yeah, sorry, the Russian is just totally throwing me!
So you don't happen to know the one or two specific things that are wrong? (I guess that's why you are waiting for the interpretation from Moscow and your vet, huh?)

Good luck with it; hope it's an easy fix.


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## Kvazar

Translation of some points (abnormal):
АСТ - AST (aspartic transaminase)
Глюкоза - glucose
ЛДГ - LDH or LD (lactate dehydrogenase)
Холестерин - cholesterol
КФК - CPK (creatinine phosphokinase)
Фосфор - phosphorus

Гематокрит - hematocrit (Ht or HCT)
Гемоглобин - hemoglobin
Эритроциты - erythrocytes
Сегментоядерные нейтрофилы - segmented neutrophils (or segs) 
Моноциты - monocytes
Лимфоциты - lymphocytes
СОЭ - erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)
Средняя концентрация Hb в эритроците - Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin Concentration (MCHC) 
Средний объем эритроцита - Mean corpuscular volume (MCV)

O_O
Thanks google


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## CLaPorte432

Kvazar,

Today is the first time I've seen this post. And I just wanted to tell you what an amazing person that you are for saving Mr. Pony. You have done such a wonderful job with him. After seeing the first pictures of him, I was so heartbroken. Then I saw the new pictures of him and my jaw fell to the floor. I can't believe the change! You are truly, truly a remarkable person and the heart you have must be huge. To take a chance on that little guy and wanting to help him for purely unselfish reasons is just beyond anything that I've ever seen.

Way to go. I hope Mr Pony recovers from whatever illness he may have. If for some reason he doesn't, please pat yourself on the back for making the last of his days filled with love, fun, food, and the knowledge that not all people are bad.

You are an angel.


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## mudpie

Hm... While I don't know if you can buy it in Russia, I know you can order it online (if at all possible...?) and I was thinking perhaps you could buy Mr. Pony RedCell? It's a blood-builder supplement. It might help!

CLaPorte432 is right: you are an angel.


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## DuffyDuck

Subbing to this so I can see the pictures when I get home!

Would appear you've done some amazing work though.

Goes to show that we shouldn't lose complete faith in human nature!


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## Tequila1233

Oh My Gosh! I think I'm Going to cry. Bless your heart for taking this little man on. I hope he pulls through and can live the rest of his life good. )':


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## xxdanioo

subbing


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## Kvazar

We've got nothing new for now. Except vet told our bloodexams looked like we had serious problems with pony's liver  
It can be truth cause in our area some unscrupulous horse owners prefer to feed their animals with a swine feed. Cause it's cheep and make horses fat very fast (but kills horse's liver).
Pony eats equimins cleanser (it cleans liver and kidneys) and waits our medicines from Moscow.

So I was bored, and made funny pic)))) I'm a horse owner in Vladivostok))))))


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## equiniphile

I don't know how I missed this thread. You have done such a fantastic job with this pony; I hope everything returns to normal with his bloodwork!


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## Kvazar

Тhe prettiest thing ever <3<3<3


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## LittleZeasel

I just loooooove his eyes !!! Such mischief and at the same time happyness  What a pony !!! 

Thank you so much for saving him! You did such a great job!


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## Kvazar

Btw, despite the fact that we in Russia  
He is a gelding now! ^^
He endured surgery well and recovered quickly.


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## amp23

He is adorable! Again, that was great of you to save him and you've done a wonderful job with him!


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## Crescent

I know this might sound harsh but maybe for his sake you should have him euthanized, you said that you don't have many places around and his feet seriously need help. Club foots can be really painful. He is such a cutie though! You guys have any horse people around you guys (like a farrier or a vet?) Love his mane and tail and coat color.


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## DRichmond

*You are an amazing woman Kvazar*

I just finished reading about your rescue of Mister Pony, and the beautiful photos of him - oh his soul absolutely shines and reflects like a beautiful mirror how very special an angel you are and all the love, care and dedication you give to him. I think your story would be a wonderful book, maybe even to raise money to help Mister Pony and others in Russia. You are very gifted in so many ways, dear Kvazar. Sending you a lot of hugs from the US!


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## Kvazar

Hello to everyone... again!
I have a budget of news about our Mr. Pony! Some of them are unbelievable... great... AWESOME!  So prepare to read =))


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## Kvazar

First of all. We've found out his routes.

His original name is Peak. Sound pretty strange to me...
His parents are both shetlands. And his mother is a result of inbreeding (father+daughter). I don't really know about negative side of such matings in ponys, but I think I wouldn't play jokes with genetics :shock:

I can't say I like his new-old name, but most people around him now call him Peakachu ))) It sounds pretty fun, so... agreed


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## Kvazar

About his health.

We won our fight with liver problems using supplements for liver and doing some injenction.
He is still bad with his teeth (tooth rasps are too big to make his M3 fixed), stomach and intestines... His condithion is not critical, but still too far to perfection. Since I'm perfectionist (yeah, all my live I try to make things better, even when 'things' doesn't need that :lol I don't feel happy with that.

About hooves and legs.
Both hinds are much better, he uses them actively and never place them in a strange position anymore.
LF is unchanged. I decided to make the regular trim for it because it's much better then RF.
RF hoof is unchanged since the last photo of it (it stays clubfoot but without falling forward coronet), cause his RF knee is unstable and most of time he's got discomfort in his leg. He definately will need chondroprotectors, when we treat his digestive tract.

His mood.
OH MY GOD! He really thinks he is a KING! And we are all here his lieges ))) Little tyrant :lol: Everybody in our stable always cry: "Poor little pony, he's sick, we should give him more attention than everybody, best food and hay, fresh vegetables etc."
And our little monster feels this ))))))) And he uses our pity everyday to be uncontrollable :lol: So yes, he is the most spoiled horse here)))


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## Allison Finch

Did you ever get him gelded? I am glad to see that life is improving for him.


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## Kvazar

Oh yes, completely forgot. He is a gelding now! We cut his 'extra parts' about 3 months ago. But don't tell him, he doesn't know yet. He thinks he is a studhorse, and every mare around is born for him:lol:


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## kayleeloveslaneandlana

Wow happy to hear he is doing much better!


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## Kvazar

All old news are written I guess.

And the last one extremely amazing new.

*He has moved!* It was a long journey for both of us but it worth that.
I've tryed hard all this last year to make him a bit happier but I really felt like I could do more for him.
The best place for horses in Russia -Charity Fund for Equine Protection and Rehabilitation "Svetozar". It was established in 2011 by amazing horselovers (for they own money as usually without any help of state) for such pony and horses which are born handicapped or made disabled by humans for the rest of their lives. It located in 100 miles from Moscow on 370 acres of pastures. Their staff consist of great veterinarians, farriers, NH trainers. And since it's so close to Moscow there is availability to invite best Russian professionals and attend best equine clinics in Russia^^

Svetozar has known about Peak's story from me and kindly agreed to adopt him for free till the rest of his life...


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## Spirit Lifter

Well that's certainly a happy ending for all concerned and of course Mr. Pony!


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## Kvazar

But there was one problem. Svetozar is located almost 6000 miles away from Vladivostok =( It's about 10-12 days by trailer and 15000 $... As Peak is not just regular pony (he is tiny pony with a hard luck) I've decided to take risks and to ship him by plane. Words can not convey a surprise of the airline when I told them that I wanted to ship pony :lol:
Shipping pony by plane to Moscow and by trailer to Svetozar from Moscow cost 3000$. But I didn't have money for that either, so I asked about help of all horselovers of my region. 

It says: "Help Mister Pony":wink:









Luckly we still have kind people here (not so many as I would want) and it took only 3 months to raise money we needed.
And here we go!

Packing... Me...








... and his second mother









loading...

























Brave little pony...

















Domodedovo Airport, Moscow, 15 hours later...









To Svetozar by trailer...


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## Kvazar

Svetozar, July 2012

Stable









































Pasture por ponys (less grass to decrease a risk of laminitis and make ponys move more)









New meetings









Grazing...


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## DuffyDuck

Oh he looks fantastic!!!

I can't even say how tearful this thread makes me.. from what you got him as to now.... makes me believe there is hope yet for the human race

Thank you


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## Endiku

What a wonderful thing you've done for Mr. Pony. He will lead a wonderful life treated as a king because you reached out to him and pulled him out of misery.

The place which he is now as it absolutely stunning, and the joy in his eyes is reward in itself!


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## Kvazar




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## Silent one

What a fascinating story, and what a wonderful person you are to take such care of this little guy! God bless and keep you.


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## EvilHorseOfDoom

I reread this thread whenever I feel sad - never fails to make me feel more positive about the world!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Laineylou

This story is amazing, I really think you should be writing down all your experiences with these animals and share them with the world.
I don't mean to sound insensitive, I know next to nothing about Russia, but is it very hard to get education there?
I can only imagine the world of good you would do in your area if you could become a trained vet or farrier.
After all, "Give a man a fish and he can eat for a day, teach a man to fish and he can eat for the rest of his life."
Best of luck to you on any further adventures you may have with these animals, you are so very good to them and they are so lucky to have you!


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## muumi

Thank you so much for keeping us updated on this story. Its really so beautiful and inspiring...

Peak is such a lucky little chap! I really enjoyed the photos of his journey...
And doesn't he just have the most beautiful little face! He's gorgeous.


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## wild old thing

This is a wonderful thread and you are a joy!! I am so happy for you, for your animals and particularly for your Mr. Pony, who is most fortunate to have found a friend in you, and for you to have found him. 

You are giving him something he probably never had in his life, you can see it in his face now - the freedom the spirit feels when there is love and caring. 

I wish for you and yours, only good things.

Your animals look so loved and happy.


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## wild old thing

And now I know Mr. Pony is saved!

It was like reading an epic novel! With the BEST ending!

Kicking up his little heels!! oh what a picture, what a happy happy ending.

Thank you for being you. Thank you for sharing your story. It's very beautiful.
*
YOU SHOULD WRITE A BOOK!*

(really)


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## stevenson

That is wonderful. He looks very happy. That is just great all those people have helped. I have heard times are tough for a lot of Russians, and it is just fantastic that they give to help this poor animal. You have done a great job. 
That is one nice looking barn !


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## Ponies

Just found this and read every post. 
God bless you, we need everyone to be like this when it comes to other living creatures.


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## GlassPlatypus

What an inspirational story! And what an unexpected outcome! I thought for sure there was no hope for this little guy, but look what happened. He couldn't be happier in his new home and with proper care!

Yes, this would make an excellent book.


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## goingnowhere1

What a wonderful story. Thank you for giving your kindness and money away to help a (what some stupid people would call) "lesser" creature. Did you ever end up writing the story behind the black horse in the YouTube video?


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