The Story of Ace - August 2005
The ad read "Free Horse - Needs TLC". Of course that caught my eye. Being a small rehab/rescue group, we really have to keep our numbers down but I still always try to at least offer the owners some help with networking and trying to find a horse a good home. I know from experience that a "Free Horse" ad can attract all sorts of people, but not necessarily the type you want your aged, faithful companion going home with. Making a spur of the moment decision, I left work (the DAY job) in a skirt and heels, headed 45 minutes out of town to view the horse and see if I could get a better idea of what he needed.
Ace’s young owner had called me with some of the details - but I still wasn’t prepared for what I saw. Ace was a big boy, a 25 yr old (or older) Morgan and Quarter gelding. He had been turned out all winter and it didn’t sound like he was checked on until someone wanted to ride during spring break in March. Knowledgeable horse owners would never turn a horse of Ace’s age out to pasture without keeping a close eye on him, but that bit of advice wouldn’t help Ace now. When he was found in the spring, Ace was extremely thin and was spinning in circles trying to keep from falling down. A vet was called who ran blood work to check for selenium deficiency, and eventually advised the owner(s) that he thought the horse may have "dropped a hip". (Our calls to this vet were met with borderline hostility (for even questioning his care maybe?) and absolutely no information other than to confirm the above. At one point, while we were in transit with Ace to our vet, they agreed to fax his information to our vet, but later declined to be of any assistance. We have yet to find out why the secrecy.)
Rounding the barn, I could see a dark bay horse with hip bones and ribs protruding. I’d been warned that he was extremely thin when they found him in the spring, so I was somewhat prepared for this. What surprised me was to see him hobble around the corner and come into the paddock to greet us. The body condition of Ace shocked me. I can’t imagine how he was thinner 3 or 4 months ago - without being dead. I’m not a pro at Henneke body scoring - but after viewing several pictures on the subject, Ace would have easily scored a ONE. (Zero is dead.) Being such a large horse to begin with, the weight loss was even more devastating. Ace had hay and water in front of him and his owner stated that was also receiving a senior feed to supplement.
Ace’s left hind leg (and hip?) was twisted to the outside and he refused to put weight on it. Because he bore all of his weight on the right hind, that leg was swollen from the hock down. When he leaned too far to one side, he would spin in circles trying to keep his balance on that one good hind. Unlike a foundered horse who will rock back to keep weight from his front feet, Ace leaned far over on his front legs, trying to keep the weight off the rear. His front tendons were obviously bowed from the strain. While standing still, Ace tried to brace himself against the barn or a board fence, so he had rub marks on his hip bone and tail head.
It’s difficult to argue with someone about an animal under a vet’s care. Owners usually trust their vets and are very loyal to them. I had several questions in my mind about the quality of care this horse had received, but what good would it do to ask them? Granted, most people would not run their horses like cattle, turned out all winter without checking on them. But would a neglect conviction stand up in court for this? Not a chance. The horse was old, as soon as he was found a vet was called, he was being fed and watered and had adequate shelter. Certainly not the standard of care that most of us would provide, but also not something that the state or county would want to spend money on. I knew immediately that having to put Ace down was a very real possibility, but the owner had made it clear she was not going to pay any more vet bills. In her mind, all Ace needed was a good chiropractor and he would be ‘good as new’. (Keep in mind, this girl was young, maybe 17 or 18, and while she was the owner, I think her parents should have had a roll in this.) I really thought the vet should have recommended euthanasia 4 months earlier, but I didn’t have the full story. That vet may have made that recommendation only to have the owner disregard it.
Two days later, Ace willingly jumped in our trailer and we started toward our vet’s office. Guardedly, we hoped for the best. Because we showed up without an appointment, we had to wait for about an hour to be seen. During that time, Ace gobbled up cookies and looked around excitedly. He was alert and spirited and seemed to be ready to take on the world. That gave us some hope. He seemed to have good liver, kidney and bowel function. He practically leapt from the trailer when it was his turn to see Dr. Joe. Even with his hind leg turned awkwardly to the outside, he hobbled around the parking lot like he was on a grand adventure.
In less than 10 minutes, our hopes were dashed. Dr. Joe palpated Ace, only to find that his pelvis was displaced or fractured so far that the bottom could not be felt. Touching the muscles in that area caused Ace to almost sit down. The displacement of the pelvis was allowing the intestines to push back much farther than they should have been. There was no hope. Any weight that we were able to put on Ace would only cause him more agony. There was no way to fix the fracture. His other three legs would not be able to sustain the weight load. He had suffered this way since being found FOUR months ago. Who knows how long before he was found that the injury actually occurred.
Sometimes the kindest thing to do is also the hardest. But it is part of owning an animal. Any animal. You take the good with the bad and you do your best to provide them the best quality of life you possibly can. Sometimes accidents happen and then you do your best to take care of them while they are sick or injured. And there are times when the only comfort you can give is some sort of dignity in death, instead of spinning in circles and wasting away.
Ace was euthanized in our trailer. We took him home and buried him on a hillside over looking our meadows and the wild horse herd. In the end, Ace was given handfuls of cookies, he was groomed all over with a new, soft face brush, and he ate a bucket of sweet grain. Most importantly, over and over again... Ace was told that he was loved. I hope he heard me.
