Feed our over 100 horses

The theme of this year has certainly been the importance of hoof care. The most prominent of example of this is the story of Maribel. 

Maribel arrived to the ranch on Friday, February 27, along with five other horses. These horses came from a local rescue that has closed. They all had medical conditions and required specialized care. However, Maribel was certainly in the worst shape. We were told that she had chronic laminitis. Her hooves were extremely overgrown and curled up, which was making her condition even worse. She was not able to walk properly. She was extremely fearful of people and was in a bad state of neglect. 

We had to trim her hooves as soon as possible. You may have seen our story with Joe Little from NBC San Diego. It is linked for you to view. We were able to give Maribel her first big trim. We were able to sedate her thanks to Dr. Rivett and the amazing veterinary team at East County Large Animal Practice. Ray, our farrier, had to use a saw to shorten her hooves to healthy length.

Since then, we have been able to trim and shape her feet more. At the beginning of May we were able to shape her back feet. We were also able to test her for insulin residence and Cushing's Disease. The tests offered good news. According to Dr. Rivett, "Her ACTH was equivocal, so we will recheck it in a couple months to see what it is doing. The insulin was very mildly elevated, but I would not consider her insulin resistant right now." This was really good news. The next challenge was to x-ray her front feet.

We anticipated finding some rotation in her coffin bone. From what we were told, she had "chronic laminitis." However, we are so happy to share that her feet look really good. There is some rotation, but it is very mild. It is also good news that she has plenty of sole. We don't know what caused her past laminitis. Her diet or living conditions may have contributed. What we do know is that the condition of her hooves made her pain and discomfort worse. We are so happy to be able to get her back to a healthy state. Though this girl is still rather nervous, she gets braver by the day and we are so proud of her. 

Farrier care is a critical part of horse care. Horses' hooves are generally required to be trimmed around every eight weeks. With over 100 horses, our farrier visits the ranch as least once a week. It was clear Maribel's feet had not been touched in a very long time, most likely years. We are so grateful to be able to provide her with the proper care. 

The health and wellbeing of our horses is our priority, from head to hoof. Every single one of our horses deserve quality care. They deserve to live in comfort.

It is thanks to supporters like you that we are able to care for our herd. You are the foundation of Horses of Tir Na Nog and we are so grateful to you. 

Links:

• NBC 7 Story