I'd like to introduce you all to Charlie and his mom Jen. Charlie is quite the interesting case, a ranch bred Quarter Horse gelding in his mid 20's who at one point in time sustained a very serious injury to his left front hoof. He was left with a club foot and essentially has no digital cushion and a very atrophied frog. He also has arthritic changes in P2, P3 and the navicular bone and quite a bit of scar tissue to contend with. Due to all of this he requires very specialized hoof care and short trim cycles.
When I began working on Charlie in late 2021 he was three legged lame and non weight bearing on the LF. He had terribly deep thrush and had not been trimmed in the balance that he needed. He had been shod in an attempt to get him comfortable but unfortunately the shoes only added leverage at that point. The first step was to pull the shoe on the LF and bring his hoof capsule back into alignment. His diet was also overhauled to reduce inflammation and help support the healing process and eliminate the deep sulcus thrush. A few days later he was able to stand on his left front and I pulled the other shoe and trimmed his right front. He bounced back and within a few weeks he was standing square and was riding sound.
Charlie has been maintained barefoot the majority of the time but has also benefited from composites and casting. While he recently retired due to his advanced age and arthritis, he has done his job well as a confidence builder for his mom. He kept her safe on her first trail rides and local shows, while still testing her patience and pushing her to improve her skills. He also helped her get started with liberty work, target and clicker training as well as scent work. He now has a brother, Auto, who will be taking over as Jen's dance partner, but Charlie will always be her heart horse.
Update: The decision was made to humanely euthanize Charlie in the fall of 2023. Not a day goes by that he isn't missed but he was ready, and his mom gave him the final gift of letting him go on a good day, with his dignity intact. I will be forever grateful to Charlie for all the lessons and all the laughs. Run free big guy, you've earned it.
