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Azure's Last Chance

11/2005

Azure is an 18 year old Akhal Teke gelding.  He was a breeding stallion for 12 years. He is his owners dream horse, a beloved friend.

Azure is an Akhal Teke, an ancient breed from Turkmenistan, and made popular in Russia. http://www.imh.org/imh/bw/akhal.html,

Akhal Teke's have a "hooded" (or reptilian) eye and don't grow a forelock, so his owner rushed to ensure me that he was very friendly, just uncomfortable. So uncomfortable that his owner, who called him the horse of her life, had already dug his grave and decided to put him down.

This was Azure's last chance.

I was trimming Azure in front of a small group of folks, a trim clinic, so I looked for lessons to share, and my heart sank as I watched Azure approach from the end of the barn.

As he was led from his stall and down the aisle of the barn, my eyes watched his feet as each one hesitated and made small circles before he finally decided where it would hurt the least. I wanted to cry... and I prayed, not being the praying type, for at least one good foot. "One good foot, God, and maybe I can fix the others..."

October 5, 2006 Azures History
October 5, 2006 - The Trim
November 13, 2006 - Second Trim
January 29, 2007 Overview - Four Month Report
January 29 - Let's Dance!

God wasn't going to make this easy on either of us, because Azure walked the full length of the barn, and couldn't take one step that was comfortable. He had a skeptics attitude, one I've seen on other horses that lived with considerable foot pain for long periods of time.

"Talk, talk , talk. You all bounce in here believing you can help, and when you leave, I have to live with the consequences." his dour expression seemed to say.

Stroking his neck, I promised to try hard not to make it worse. His bright angry eye was full of life, he wanted to live, he was just very angry that he had to live in pain.

His shoes had come off the month before in an attempt to make him comfortable and because shoes didn't seem to help him. He was wearing EasyBoots on his front feet and was bare behind. His neck was cresty and he was heavy, particularly for an Akhal Teke, but I wasn't going to tackle diet until I figured his feet out.

As Valerie recited Azure's recent history, my heart went out to her. She was supported by her close friend, Judy, who is a strong Barefoot advocate, and by her farrier, Steve. Between them, they had tried everything they could think of, but Azure's discomfort had increased, and they now placed his feed next to his water, because he had essentially stopped moving.

Azure's History

Azure was rounded up as a 2 year old in the Colorado Mountains. His feet were trimmed for the first time, he was auctioned off and sent to California.

Transport took 3 days, and he arrived in California with severe laminitis; he recovered fully in a few months. Then at 5 years of age, his soles were trimmed so thin that he was unable to stand up by the next morning, even though he was shod. His feet never recovered, and he has had special shoeing ever since; Wedges, Pads, Egg Bars, Aluminum and steel, glue striders , you name it, his owner tried it.

Poor Azure would be sound one day and dead lame the next, hit and miss for years. 

His feet continued to be so sore that even when he was being shod on rubber mats, he was in pain when there was no shoe on his foot.  One of the ongoing challenges was long toe / low heel syndrome.  

Valerie relates her final decision "Economics of owning three horses finally forced me to try pulling his shoes to see if he could survive as a pasture ornament.  After a few months of watching him get worse/lamer I had decided to put him down. My friend Judy  was experimenting with different horse boots and asked if she could try the barefoot trimming techniques and see if with boots and proper trimming Azure could be made more comfortable. "

Assessment

As I examined Azure's feet, I looked for an easy answer to his pain. His toe was long and his heel under-run; pulling his toe back was to be done in several steps because his lateral cartridges and digital cushions looked under developed and I didn't want to increase his discomfort. His heels, while weak, were at least there to walk on, even though he didn't want to use them. He had traces of thrush that would be easy to clear up with a Lysol solution. He had some concavity, but not much. Next? See October 5, 2006 - The Trim

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