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I had some suspicions that Royal Patty LE, our 22 year old American Shetland Classic mare was in foal, but she showed NO indication of eminent foaling to prove my suspicions. Patty Le is the dam of Sharrway Hidden Gift, a multiple Congress Champion, sired by Hidden Image FMF. We had been trying to get Patty back in foal to Image for 2 years, hoping for another filly, all to no avail. She had been his constant companion for two years, spurning his amorous advances, or so I thought! We had become resigned to the fact that the filly I had sold, Sharrway Hidden Gift, would be the last foal that Patty would give us. Until that fateful day, June 18 2008, when I discovered a tiny filly who would become known as Treasured Gift, the answer to my prayers that I get one more filly from Patty, that she be either a red roan sabino like her dam, or a silver sabino like her sister!
  
Photos taken at Performance Equine Associates hospital Whitesboro, TX-filly 3 days old
You can imagine my shock and surprise when I went to feed, on that fateful June morning, a Wednesday morning I will never forget, to find a very small frail filly standing beside Patty trying to nurse. One look at her told me she was premature and we had to get her some help immediately. Scooping her up I headed to the barn and a stall with Patty protesting, but following close behind. Patty is a “pasture mare”, the less she has to do with human kind the better she likes it. However when caught she is very tractable and easily handled, I was envisioning a problem convincing her that she needed to get to the barn, but once I got my hands on the filly and started to the barn, her motherly instinct over came her dislike of the human race, and she came quietly. Once in the stall I watched the filly for a minute assessing the situation of her crooked little body and to see if she was nursing. She was making a valiant attempt to do so however her hind end would not cooperate for very long. I knew I had to get help and fast, so I called my regular vet telling him what we had.
He immediately told me this was beyond his expertise, giving me the name of a vet hospital in Whitesboro TX. A panic call to Performance Equine Associates, the equine hospital my vet had told me about, to alert them what I was bringing in, and to get directions. I hooked up the trailer, (which usually takes me several times to get lined up, but that day I had an angel sitting on my shoulder, as it lined up perfectly the first time). I enlisted the aid of a couple of friends, one to ride in the trailer with the mare and filly, until I reached the other friend, who was to drive the truck and trailer for me. While I also rode in the back of the trailer to steady the filly, on the long (45 minutes to an hour) ride to Whitesboro. As we sped on our way to the hospital, it became apparent to me that the ride was wearing the filly out even more, so I decided she needed to lay down for the trip....a situation NOT to her liking one little bit! However, she had come up against a brick wall with my determination she WOULD ride lying down...which after a brief struggle, she decided was THE way to ride. I knew time was of the essence.
We were met at the hospital by a bevy of people. Dr. Fleming, who specializes in foals, and their treatment, plus all the technicians, who ewwed and ahhed over Patty and the filly! The first time they had had an American Shetland Pony in the hospital. Everyone from all over this huge complex had to come see the little windswept filly, commentating on how cute and tiny she was! Patty and filly were immediately taken to the ICU, where the filly was weighed, at a whopping 21.5 pounds, laid down on a thick foam mat, while a series of tests were to be performed to assess her overall condition. Once those tests were back, a catheter was inserted into her neck, a feeding tube inserted for feeding until she was strong enough to nurse on her own. Blood work showed the SNAP test results were ZERO!! She had NOT nursed at all, so had NO antibodies from Patty's colostrum! Next step a big dose of plasma to boost her non-existent immune system. Blood work also showed a slightly elevated white cell count, so out came the antibiotics, and gastro guard. Amikacin once a day, and Naxell twice a day! Put directly into the catheter, and flushed before, and after each antibiotic, and then one final flush to keep the catheter open.
Next was x-rays to determine if the malformation of her legs were due to incorrect bone development, and to also determine if all the bones were present in her hind legs. X-rays proved that the problem of the hind limbs were due to extremely lax extensor tendons, and very lax ligaments. That all the correct bones were in place in the legs and hocks. The news was getting brighter all the time. However, Treasure was so tired, from the constant attention, insertion of tubes, and medications given she had lost interest in nursing. The technicians assured me that she would figure it out as soon as they got some nourishment into her. Mean while my wild pasture mare Patty is allowing the Vet and all the others concerned with the filly, to do what needs to be done, with out a fuss...She had to know we were helping to save her filly. Thank goodness Patty is a "milk cow" with plenty of milk; at least we weren't fighting that! One of the very nice young techs relieved the pressure on Patty's bag, which I might add after the first time Patty raised her hind leg to be milked!
I left the clinic feeling as though everything that could be done to save the filly was being done. No assurances were given me by anyone at the clinic...everyone was cautiously optimistic but non-committal too. By the time I had returned home total exhaustion has set in, and all I wanted to do was rest, and go over the day's events in my mind. I had promised to give the Clinic a call the next morning to see how Patty and the filly were.
When I called the following morning to check on the filly and Patty, I was given the good news. Treasure had figured out on her own WHERE that milk was suppose to come from and was nursing on her own with vigor. One less hurdle to worry about! At least she was nursing on her own.
Now the prognosis...would she (Treasure) ever be normal?
The vets was cautiously optimistic...This was one of the worst cases they had ever seen. However Treasure was proving to be a fighter, with that American Shetland pony grit! There was going to be no easy fix to this compounded problem, being windswept AND with lax ligaments, and extensor tendon. It would all take time to correct itself. How much time? No one could answer that question for me.
After 5 days in the hospital Patty and Treasure would come home to a 10 x 10 stall. Where she would have to stay for the next 3 months. A myriad of appliances were applied to help the ligaments and tendons heal...all to no avail...here is the appliance that Treasure came home with (see photos)...which proved to be a huge hassle and work, as it wouldn't stay on for more than a matter of hours, and she was NOT liking the constant re-applying of the device, as well as the giving of the medication via the catheter. We had 2 more weeks of the antibiotics to get through, plus trying to figure out how we were going to help those weak hind legs and get them straightened up. All this time the filly is getting stronger by the day, with everything now becoming a major battle!
 
makeshift shoes Treasure came home with from the Vet hospital
Enter John Belcher our good friend and farrier. A call to John telling him of our problem, he told me to get hold of Janelle of Magic Shoes, who makes custom made aluminum therapeutic shoes, all I had to do was take the measurements of the baby's hoof, and Janelle would make what we needed...a shoe with the rear extension, to get Treasure up on her feet, and a lateral extension to help the left leg from kicking out to the left. I waited with baited breathe for those shoes to arrive. We had to wait for John to get up here to apply the shoes, it would take him another two weeks before he could see his way clear to come to Oklahoma to apply the magic shoes.
  
 
photos taken approximately July 18th, at one month old.
The photos show some improvement in the left twist to her rear legs,
but not much improvement to the extensor tendon and laxity of the ligaments.
Every one said be patient (which I am NOT) this will improve in time...I was so afraid of permanent damage to her left hock due to the abnormal outside tendon laxity, I was getting discouraged.
We were so hopeful when we got the shoes put on that it would solve her problem...alas those nice little aluminum shoes didn't stay on a week before coming off....we were back to square one!
A trip to the Oklahoma State Farriers School in Ardmore, OK trying to find if they had a solution to our problem. Some quick set glue was bought and our other farrier, Brian Lindstrom, applied the shoes again....success????? Only for about 1 and a half weeks this time, but in that time we did see some improvement, so knew if we could just keep the darn shoes on for a good length of time she would straighten up or it appeared she would straighten up and be normal. We are now working with a two month old filly who has yet to be out of a stall!!!
By now I was becoming very frustrated...we were able to remove all the tubes from her after two weeks at home, however these appliances were becoming a major problem...and she HATED to have her feet messed with, it was becoming more than one person could do by themselves!...after being poked, prodded, medication stuck into the catheter, ulcer guard stuck in her mouth, and all the rest of the tortures (in her mind)...she was beginning to think people WERE her worst enemy! Can't say as I blame her! Remember all this time, she is eating well and gaining strength by the day...no shrinking violet was this little spit fire going to be....It was challenging to say the least to continue to try to keep something on these feet.
While conversing with Reggie, the owner of Oklahoma State Farriers School, when we were up there, he suggested one of his teachers by the name of Dave Goodman, saying that Dave loved challenges, and was especially successful with treating foals with various leg problems and deformities. He felt sure I should call him and have him come down and assess the situation to see if he could help...Now mind you this filly has been in a stall for 3 MONTHS with no outside exercize!!! A call is made to Dave Goodman...."can you please come look at our filly and see if there is anything you can do for her?" Dave very graciously said he would come look at her...when he arrived he immediately knew the course of action we needed to take. He warned me that his appliances (hand made little shoes from a hard rubber big horse pad) would stay on at least 5 weeks (yea right I'd heard THAT song before!)....did I believe him? Of course not! Nothing had stayed on before. What made him think his shoes would stay on any longer than anyone else's?! After fashioning his little shoes for Treasure, he glued them on, saying "if" we could get them to stay on for 4 weeks (hadn't he just told me his shoes stayed on for 5 weeks!!!!) we could very well be out of the woods with her. Those words were the first encouraging words I had heard in 3 months!!! Please Lord make it so! Like a nervous mother, I checked her everyday, sometimes going out 3 and 4 times to check that the shoes were still on for the next 3 weeks.
After the 4th week, I began to believe that the shoes really were going to stay on, so started checking every other day. Guess I finally realized they really weren't going to come off without help! Toward the end of the 4th week, I called Dave and said "think you will need to come down and take the shoes off the filly, THEY ARE STILL ON," I said with amazement!!! The day before Dave was to come and trim Treasure's feet, the left shoe came off of its own accord, 5 weeks plus 4 days, but the right one was still attached! Dave joked when he got here that he had told me that his shoes stayed on for 5 weeks, but that he didn't believe it himself...we both had a good laugh over that one. After he had trimmed Treasure's feet he pronounced that the little shoes had done their job, she was standing up on her hind feet for the first time, and that she could now have her first taste of freedom outside the walls of that stall!
We have a large paddock approximately 80 feet by 160 feet that was full of grass. This would be the ideal place for her to get her first taste of freedom...not so large that she will hurt herself, but plenty of room to start developing those neglected muscles from being in a stall for 4 months. I can't tell you the joy I felt, and the tears I shed when we took her and Patty to that paddock and turned them lose for the first time...It was a day that I never thought I would see. She didn't know what to do at first, then with her tail flagged, she took her first steps to freedom, able to run and buck outsides the confines of that dreaded 10 x 10 box stall.
  
 
Royal Patty LE with Sharrway Treasured Gift experiencing freedom for the first time in 4 months.
What a difference those months have made in Treasurer's rear legs!
My prayers have been answered. I have the filly that I was hoping and praying for. She is a Treasured Gift. A testament to the will, determination, and hardiness of the American Shetland Pony breed as a whole. She will be a credit to the broodmare band of Sharrway Farm, fullfilling the promise from her Sire and Dam. Will she ever see the show ring? Possibly.
Sharrway Treasured Gift is a testament to the Shetland Breed, proving that seemingly insurmountable obstacles CAN be over come with faith, determination, and help from some very special people, all with one goal in mind, to save this spirited American Shetland Pony filly.
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