The plans have been finalized. The big Thoroughbred gelding pictured in the post below will be moving to our farm shortly.
Let the fun begin...
I have Dr. George coming out to do a full evaluation of him next Tuesday. Besides the standard tests, I am going to have him shoot a few radiographs of his left hock. (The one that was pinfired.)
We are taking him in as a fundraiser for our farm's rescues. This poses a difficult task for me - my students have a tenacity to fall in love with the horses here. And then when the time comes to see them go to their new homes, the tears begin to flow. It doesn't matter how often I tell them, "Don't fall in love, he or she is only here to be rehabbed." Tissues are always needed. Linus was a prime example.
To those of you who are familiar with off-track Thoroughbreds, I have a few questions... Do you suggest that we radiograph any other joints, besides the pinfired one and any other that may raise questions during his exam? Do any other joints pose more of a problem than others? And is there anything else in particular that Dr. George and I should focus on?
I look forward to working with him, but as many of you know, my time is fairly limited. Is there anyone in my area that would be interested in coming to work with him a few days per week? If so, send me an email at GreenwoodStables@aol.com. Any help we can get for him would be greatly appreciated!
Also, he needs a name! I was thinking "Timothy" so we can call him "Tiny Tim"... Any ideas?!
Thanks for all of the suggestions and advice so far!
Let the fun begin...
I have Dr. George coming out to do a full evaluation of him next Tuesday. Besides the standard tests, I am going to have him shoot a few radiographs of his left hock. (The one that was pinfired.)
We are taking him in as a fundraiser for our farm's rescues. This poses a difficult task for me - my students have a tenacity to fall in love with the horses here. And then when the time comes to see them go to their new homes, the tears begin to flow. It doesn't matter how often I tell them, "Don't fall in love, he or she is only here to be rehabbed." Tissues are always needed. Linus was a prime example.
To those of you who are familiar with off-track Thoroughbreds, I have a few questions... Do you suggest that we radiograph any other joints, besides the pinfired one and any other that may raise questions during his exam? Do any other joints pose more of a problem than others? And is there anything else in particular that Dr. George and I should focus on?
I look forward to working with him, but as many of you know, my time is fairly limited. Is there anyone in my area that would be interested in coming to work with him a few days per week? If so, send me an email at GreenwoodStables@aol.com. Any help we can get for him would be greatly appreciated!
Also, he needs a name! I was thinking "Timothy" so we can call him "Tiny Tim"... Any ideas?!
Thanks for all of the suggestions and advice so far!
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This is the Morgan gelding we are currently offering for sale. He is 6 years old, 15 hands, registered and 100% sound. He is, by far, the BEST trail horse you will find - absolutely nothing bothers this guy! His personality is adorable - he is sweet, friendly and loves attention. We are asking $6,000 for him.
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You might want to look in to finding someone in the Hunter/Jumper circuits to work with him. Big horses are all the rage right now in Hunters.
ReplyDeleteHe is such a cutie! Maybe you could name him Snickerdoodle...Doodle for short. He just looks like a Doodle to me!
"Tiny Tim" Love it!
ReplyDeleteWhat a gorgeous morgan - if only I were in the market!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you're already aware, but Cathy (the lady who writes Fugly Horse of the Day) has done a lot with OTTBs, I'm sure she'd be happy to give advice if you emailed her.
Since you just had a Linus, maybe this guy is Charlie Brown? He seems to have that eternally optimistic look to him.
Charlie Brown is cute! It's also kind of a spin on "Big Brown"
ReplyDeleteOH MY GOODNESS, SO MUCH GOING ON, JUST LOVE IT. BEEN WANTING TO TAKE A RIDE TO SEE YOUR FARM AND ALLLLLLL YOUR FOUR LEGGED FRIENDS, BUT KNOWING HOW BUSY YOU ARE AND NOT KNOWING WHEN IS A GOOD TIME TO GO. I HAD A BRIGHT IDEA (MAYBE NOT) HOW ABOUT AN OPEN HOUSE SOME SAT, FOR A FEW HOURS SO THAT ALL OF US FOLLOWERS COULD COME VISIT AND NOT WONDERING IF IT'S A GOOD TIME OR NOT. IT SURE WOULD GIVE US SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO.TAKE CARE
ReplyDeleteRITA, EPPING N.H.
Wasn't Linus' little brother called Re-run? Might be fun for an OTTB! How about the obvious; "Mr. Big"
ReplyDeleteI'd have Dr. George check the front hooves. TBs are typically shod with long toes and that does a number on their navicular bones. A pre-purchase exam is a good idea. I had one done on the rescue I brought home. He was a "warmblood" (in name only) and was advertised as "suitable for dressage" but one look at his badly healed left ankle and I knew THAT was not true. He was a companion for my TB, but I had a pre-purchase done on him to see what I had. The vet (mine is "Uncle Ron" ;o) took one look at the ankle, shot four radiographs and we went no further with the "exam" -- Ryan had two different shaped front hooves, too, which often indicates changes, either from navicular issues OR from compensating for the sore hind. The rads showed that he had bone chips floating in the joint, beating it up. Someone had probably said, "Oh, just wrap it, it will be fine," instead of taking care of it properly. So Ryan was trail sound (and that meant "walk only" unless the footing was soft and HE wanted to trot).
ReplyDeleteI'd also have Dr. G check his wind. Horses come off the track as roarers or with other "breathing issues."
As I wrote earlier, the biggest problem I had with my guy was the trust issue -- he worried about EVERYTHING. He still gets "that look" when there is a change in his routine, but I've had him since he was 4 and a half (he's almost 16 now), so there are very few surprises ;o)
Good luck! I'm looking forward to this adventure too.