# TWR Star Bright, a rehab loaner



## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

So I thought Otis would be happy I had picked up a friend for him on the way back from the show. I unloaded Star and put her in the main paddock/pasture and then got Otis out of the trailer & put him in with Star. Otis, Mr. Alwaysbottomofpeckingorder, turned into a chasing, biting, kicking monster towards poor, sore Star. He cornered her and was ready to kick the daylights out of her, my Australian Cattle Dogs rescued her, good doggies! So I put her in the adjacent pen. The next morning I got into farrier gear & went to work. I worked on the abscessed hoof first, her left hind. I got the heels back but some hoof sloughed off just before the heel, dang! I did what I could and left it, she was sore! She kicked me a few times, but honestly, it was more of a push than a kick, caused me no pain. Still, a kick is a kick, she had to learn she can pull away but pushing against me is not an option. Although she understood & obeyed the rule, she hated me for it, total mare thing-I'll do it but I hate you, we are not friends. Whatever, ungrateful hag! Please note, she had a good dose of butte hours before, I am not a total monster. I can see that abscess tracks deep and high, her leg is on fire and swollen. I got the front done on the same side, I balanced it, I didn't go gentle either, I ripped that bandage right off. She is sore anyways, might as well go for broke & get it over, she'll be thanking me in a month. Forget the right hooves, she is way too sore to even attempt to lift those, so I wait til she lays down and nip the toes from the ground. I put a soaking boot filled my poultice on her hoof, wrap the hinds for support and wait. Since she is suffering from thin stretched soles and I trimmed her to balance, I am moving around hoof boots to ease her tenderness. It's gonna hurt til it gets better, how I was taught by a rehab farrier, "you do the surgery, then let them heal." Many farriers do not agree with this, I am on the fence, but in Star's case, it proved to be the best plan of action. A week later, my farrier is on the scene. He figures although my trim is thoroughly spot on with her balance, he figures I should have done it gradually. He offers to do her right side hooves. He shows me some tricks of the trade to trim a sore horse, meaning how to get them to lift their hooves for short periods of time. When he's done, he agrees my trim is correct but his trim is kinder and will be correct in the next two trims. Star agrees with him, loves him, hates me. Whatever. I let my farrier bang the metal for Otis's resets and I nail them on, then I hammer my fingernail and let him take over. Whatever, I still made him dinner, he brings the pickled carrots, our deal for teaching me to shoe, he gets dinner. We are friends for over 30 years, I am honored to be one of his selected clients, he is the only decent farrier within 200 miles. To show you how bad the selection is, he rates me a very distant #2, lol.


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## Knave (Dec 16, 2015)

Either way you couldn’t be riding her I guess. Your trim was prettier. 😉 lol

As far as the low man beating on her; my father told me once that is always the way it goes. It’s the low horses who are particularly mean. It’s their one opportunity. I wouldn’t put her back in until she is sound and can take care of herself. That will all work out.


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

@Knave those pictures do not show my farrier's trim. The long hoof isn't really trimmed, I just nipped off her toes from the ground, the other side is my trim. This picture is a comparison - the left is mine, right is his.


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

Well since I am for waiting epoxy glue to dry, I will try to get caught up to present day. 
Star blew her abscess and it was huge and still sore for her. My hands got so chapped from soaking, cleaning & wrapping but she was slowly getting better. Since she was getting slightly bossy with Otis over the fence, I put her back in with him, dogs monitoring the situation. Nothing happened, he was friendly-ish. They went down to the pasture together, she was slow but she went, and 5 minutes behind him coming back for supper. I threw out 2 piles of hay and filled Otis's hay feeder. No squabbles, they shared a hay pile on the ground, and shared the next one but when it came to his feeder, nope not sharing. She figured out his game the next time, when he came over to snuggle & share, she went to another pile, he gave up & just eats from his feeder before she goes over there. She continues to hate me because I have to doctor her. Her abscess whole is so deep & I have to flush it with a syringe. 










I can't really address any of her sole, even with Bute, she is so sore. It starts to cover over and I am ready to fix up the horrible sole. 








She is so loaded to the outside, I gave my rehab farrier friend a call. She helped me through this. It worked. Star was walking better after.


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

Round two of waiting for epoxies to dry, lol. I have a horse hair jewelry business, orders are pouring in for Christmas and I go back to my regular job on Thursday. Haven't worked there since Covid lock down.
Star was getting better & better everyday, she actually trotted a little up from the pasture. Her heels were staying back and I was ready to trim her again. Did away with the hoof boots and wrapping, she was moving normally. Then one morning she was lame, LAME! On the abscessed one. Great! I figured it closed up too soon and still needed to drain. I poulticed it with Animalintex, wrapped it and put a boot on it. Next morning, who is cantering up the hill for breakfast? It was her and she was sound! I took the hoof boot off but not the wrap as it was mucky and she had duct tape over the vetwrap. Figured I would give her a day then cut it off. She lost it somewhere in a few hours. Had a look at the abscess, the original whole was closed but another track drained under the frog next to it. I gave her a few days without me bothering her. She seriously dislikes me unless I give her cookies, then it's only while the cookies last. 
My last poultice & wrap...

















We both have angry mare faces....









But homemade horse cookies earns a pleasant expression....









Otis does not require cookies for affection...


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

So this entry here will be current as of today, phew! Yup, waiting for more epoxy to dry.
Yesterday was the day to trim Star. She has been moving soundly for almost a week. My granddaughters love her, she nickers to them, crinkled her spotty nose at me however. She could hold her hooves up for a decent amount of time, didn't need too many breaks. My granddaughter groomed her, she loved that! When I groomed her before, she looked like she was sneering at me. Total ungratefulness, lol. All her hooves are good, soles have thickened up to where she is comfortable. Just waiting on that abscessed side to fill in, her wonky frog is migrating back to center, almost there.








The fronts are exactly how they should be at this point

















Hinds are much better too, way less loaded to the outside left and inside right. Before, she had almost a windswept effect going on. I guess to keep the pressure off that abscess on the inside. She was brewing that thing when Bobbi-Jo picked her up in early August, it didn't drain at all until the 2nd week of September and again last week. Whatever drained out then seems to be the last of it...I hope. It did bring her instant relief so that's a good sign.








I took her for a little jog in my arena, she was very forward moving. I lunged her with just the lead rope, she bucked, bolted a little, farted, then settled down. It was during a windstorm so I expected that. I am overjoyed to see her moving so freely! My granddaughter said she expects Star to be ready for her to ride during her next visit, so Grandma get training! Yeah, yeah.. Bobbi-Jo claimed she is her "yoga" horse, as she is so quiet, she does yoga on her, we will see. Supposed to be windy & rainy all week but hoping I can work with her a bit so this young lady can ride her safely 









Star earning her keep, providing a background for one of my designs for a customer's little girl..


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## MeditativeRider (Feb 5, 2019)

Lucky granddaughter, and lucky horse to have you to help her.

I love the design you made.


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## egrogan (Jun 1, 2011)

Thanks for sharing her story! I loved the mare glare pictures, I think we all have those days  I’m looking forward to following along.


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## knightrider (Jun 27, 2014)

Good job! I love the mare's unusual coloring, white where many horses are brown, brown where many horses are white!


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## Knave (Dec 16, 2015)

She is awfully cool colored! Maybe she will end up being your best purchase ever. You never know.

My husband’s mare and I had the same relationship forever. She didn’t like me, and I felt the same about her. Finally I rode her and lost my temper one day, and her attitude was totally different. “Oh, I guess you’re serious, okay.” Just like that, no more problems. Drove me batty. If I lost my temper with one of mine they would lose their minds. Even my little mare wouldn’t be able to handle me being aggressive, and she would make me pay for it for weeks I’m sure. That’s what Lucy required though, and she is a danged fine animal to ride.

This mare of yours would be so fancy looking to ride! You will have to feel pretty at least. Lol. I hope she ends up being amazing and you fall completely head over heels for her.


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## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

Wait, so her lower legs are brown? That's not mud? That IS really interesting coloration.


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## egrogan (Jun 1, 2011)

I suddenly realized why I liked the look of her so much- she reminds me of an appy mare named Bella, who was our trail riding buddy years ago before her owner moved away. We had some fun rides!


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

@Knave I didn't buy her, just a loaner. I have no time to work with her today, just as well, wind is fierce! 
A copy of her Canadian registration, she is registered with the American Appaloosa registry as well. She has had 5 foals, last one was 6 years ago.


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## Knave (Dec 16, 2015)

How long will you be keeping her?


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

@Knave I don't know yet, we shall see, lol.


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

Well my plans on working with Star today were dashed. She was not moving as freely as she was in the past few days, short stepping with that abscessed hoof. I got to work, scrubbed it out and started paring away at that frog edge where it blew, yup, it's tracking up to the heel. I opened it up and I found where it originated, under the widest part of the frog. It had grown over and was trapping the drainage. Got it all cleaned out & draining and she will stay wrapped until that hoof is deemed healed by me. She kicked me once, no force behind it, but she got a reprimand. She just stood there, looking at me, I felt pretty sorry for her for all the pain she has to go through. When I was done, I gave her cookies, cuddles and petting. She sort of liked it, at least she didn't crinkle her nose at me, progress. Pictures of my wrap job, I wonder when my husband is going to notice he is running out of fleece lined socks, lol. Those things are perfect for cushioning the coronary band & skin after I use the elastikon tape over the animalintex, then sock, then vetwrap, finally the duct tape boot. I put a hoof boot on last.
















She is starting to not hate me so much, baby steps.


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

Star is sound, finally! She canters and trots after Otis coming up from the pasture. But our time together is ending Friday, she is going back home. Manny is coming home, yay, my daughter has bought another horse, so he is evicted, lol. Can't say I will miss Star, pretty sure she will not miss me! Today I went to pet her forehead after I checked her blanket, she turned away and crinkled her nose. I tried, maybe eventually she would have warmed up to me but she is not totally rid of me, I am her permanent farrier, hah. Bobbi-Jo says no one else will do, awww shucks! She also wants me to ride her when she is settled in at home, we'll see. My next post will hopefully contain pictures of her going home and Manny coming home. Manny never crinkles his nose at me 😁


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## boots (Jan 16, 2012)

How ungrateful!

Enjoy having Manny home.


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## gottatrot (Jan 9, 2011)

It's incredible what you did to help the poor mare. I'd say she probably likes you a lot. My mares that loved me would try to kill me if I cleaned wounds, so based on that she must be extremely fond of you.


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

The duct tape fleece sock wrap is off! Star's hoof is recovered, sloughed off area ahead of the heel grew in. I finally got even, balanced heels! She only pulled away once, no trying to kick at me, progress. I even got a pleasant mare stare, only because she knew dinner was being served shortly. I was going to remove her blanket & give her a grooming but thought nah, let's end this on a good note.


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

She is on her way home. Manny will be back Sunday afternoon, yay! I gave her a good grooming, she scowled the whole time, washed her dirty tail, she was dancing around, then son in law arrived to hook up the trailer and take her home. Otis called to her once, then went back to his hay. Sorry, only pictures I got was of her leaving...


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## Knave (Dec 16, 2015)

I’m sad I didn’t get to read lots of updates of you riding him!


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

The final entry of this journal. Star was recently euthanized, xrays showed severe coffin bone rotation. Run pain free girl.


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## Txshecat0423 (May 27, 2020)

I’m so sorry [emoji22] 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## knightrider (Jun 27, 2014)

Sorry to read this.


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