| Shamu’s Story…
You may be wondering what happened to me because I don’t walk normally on my right front leg. My previous owner was away from home one day in the Fall of 2003. I just couldn’t help myself – I wanted to get in the pen with a neighboring mare and when I reared and pawed at the gate I got my hoof caught on the hinge between the gate and the post. I tried for hours to get my hoof unstuck but failed. |
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| My owner finally came home and found me near death from struggling so long. He got me unstuck and took me to his vet who had little hope for my survival since I could not use my leg. My owner could not bear to put me down so he doctored me the best he could.
He soon took me to the NC Vet School to see if there was anything they could do to help. I stayed there a week - they doctored me and gave me lots of medicine but they too didn’t think I’d ever be able to walk again. I had major nerve damage and who knows what other soft tissue, tendon or ligament damage there was and they were uncertain if the nerve would ever heal. I was sent back home and was taken care of to the best of my owners’ ability. I laid down a lot and was depressed – when not lying down I hopped around on three legs. About a month later my owner met Gwen with Horses for Hope. My owner told Gwen that he just didn’t have the time to properly keep me maintained and offered to donate me to Horses for Hope. Gwen came and looked at me and she just adored me and could see that twinkle in my eye. She had hope. I went home with her the next week (with two of my buddies Sergeant and Clay) and within a weeks time I was standing more and was coming out of my depression. Gwen did stretch exercises on my leg twice a day since my leg would not straighten out. She also continued to doctor my injured hoof. In addition, Horses for Hope volunteers Bob, Heather and Elizabeth, would give me more therapy when they were out at the barn. I felt so loved! |
| One day around Christmas (2003) I decided to start using my leg to walk and found it was easier than hopping on three legs. I still couldn’t straighten my leg all the way but at least it worked. About a week after I started using my leg my hoof capsule came off – Gwen knew it was going to happen due to the severe trauma my hoof underwent - it was just a matter of time. |
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| She then had to keep my hoof wrapped in cotton and duct tape to protect my exposed sensitive laminae. She took me on walks on those cold frozen days that made me real stiff. New hoof was growing very quickly and now here I am today walking, trotting and RUNNING on all four legs. |
| Thanks go to my previous owner who spared my life and my current owners and volunteers who had faith in me. I still have a long road ahead and need lots of exercise to help my tendons get back to normal. An x-ray taken in January 2004 showed that my coffin bone (the pointy bone in the x-ray picture) was in good shape so my new hoof (not quite fully grown out) should not be a problem in the future.
If you wish to help keep me exercised let one of the Horses for Hope folks know and you can sign up to help me. |
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