Twist of Fate's Page
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This horse was scheduled to take his last trip, a trip aboard a truck bound for a slaughter house in Texas early Sunday, October 17, 1998. But because of a very kind and caring man with a heart as big as all outdoors, Twist of Fate (his new name) has come to live at HorseSong Ranch. It's hard to believe there are still people in this world with such a giving nature. I put out a cry for help over the internet and Shel answered that cry. He responded to a complete stranger by offering to buy a horse so another horse could be saved from a slaughter house in Texas. What a wonderful, wonderful man. Twist has now been seen by the vet and farrier. He has thrush, an abcess, some proud flesh that needs to be removed, and about 12 weeks of corrective shoeing then he'll be as good as new. We're so lucky to have our new little boy (17 hands). He's already starting to display his playful personality. If you turn your back on him he'll grab you by the pony tail if you have one or give you a gentle shove to let you know he's there. We want to thank Gail Garrett for helping us find this wonderful horse. If it hadn't been for all the help we had we wouldn't have been able to rescue Twist or meet our new friend Shel. |
UPDATE ON TWIST 1-7-99
Poor Twist. He's had surgery on his left front hoof three times. The growth on his hoof was a fiberous papaloma. It has grown back after being removed twice. Today we had it removed again using cryosurgery. The vet thinks this may be the last time except for a follow up with a little more freezing in two weeks. The abcess on his left rear hoof seems to be coming through at the coronet band. The vet tried to lance it, but it's not quite ready. As soon as it bursts Twist will be able to put weight on his rear hoof. At present he is walking on three legs and that's really hard when one of them has just been operated on. In 5 days he gets a new specially fitted shoe to help him walk on his resectioned hoof. And maybe in a few weeks we'll be able to put fiberglass where the hoof wall has been cut away so his hoof will be more protected. Twist is so wonderful and loving. When I go out to see him he rests his head against my chest. If he's laying down he lets me sit next to him and enjoy the warmth of the sun and the love we have for each other. We're lucky to have Twist and we thank everyone who has supported us through all the ordeals we've had to go through with this BRAVE loving horse. |
UPDATE ON TWIST 1-21-99
The vet came out today to check out Twist's foot. He was very pleased with the healing process, but decided to freeze the area in which the tumor had been growing for added safety. He says Twist may be able to have epoxy put over the area where his hoof was removed in 2-3 weeks if all continues to go well. At that time his foot will be able to handle the weight of a rider. Yea, we'll finally be able to ride him, that is if he has ever been under saddle, we don't know. Thanks for all your prayers.
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UPDATE ON TWIST 5-5-99
The vet came out today to look at Twist's rear hoof. The abcesses don't seem to go away. The vet decided on a radical procedure and removed the lower half of Twist's hoof in the front. He said that way he could get rid of all the decayed tissue and get down to healthy flesh. In two weeks the vet will come back for a recheck and hopefully we'll be able to put a shoe on that hoof so Twist will finally be able to walk correctly. Twist's front hoof is completely healed with no signs of tumor regrowth. Hooray for Twist. In just a short time we hope to have a sound horse. |
UPDATE ON TWIST 8-25-99
Well, the radical procedure didn't work. Twist will be going to the hospital on Monday, August 30, for more surgery. His rear hoof was growing back nicely, but it is still full of nasty infection. The vet wants to remove as much of Twist's rear hoof as he needs to see exactly where the infection is coming from. He's afraid it's not just an abecss. He's going to send some tissue samples for biopsy so he knows exactly what we're dealing with. He wants to keep Twist at the hospital for two weeks to see if he can clear up whatever is going on. This is Twist's last chance. If this doesn't work the vet says there's nothing more he can do. Poor Twist, the two week stay and surgery will be expensive, but we have to give him this last chance. Please everyone say a little prayer for this wonderful horse. We want him to finally be free from pain. |
UPDATE ON TWIST 11-1-99
Twist never did go in for surgery. We learned of a farrier from Spokane, Washington who has done fantastic things for horses with hoof problems. On October 9, 1999 we took Twist to a clinic where Lyle "Bergy" Bergeleen evaluated Twist and determined that x-rays were in order before he proceeded. After he saw the x-rays which showed a slight rotation but no bone deterioration, Bergy proceeded to trim Twist in a manner that Bergy felt would further Twist's progress. This was the first time Twist was ever trimmed so short. It was wonderful seeing his feet look almost normal. Of course, when the trimming and shoeing of the sore foot was done Twist was very lame. But! Today Twist is actually putting some weight on his foot and running around like a normal horse with a slight limp. The infection is almost gone and Twist has his foot at a normal angle. Maybe after the next trimming and shoeing in November, he'll be rideable. He's already so much better that it brings tears of joy to my eyes everytime I see him running and bucking. |
UPDATE
ON TWIST 1-30-2000
Well, back to the drawing board. Twist's foot has gotten worse. The infection is back and he's developed another growth above his coronet band. We treated him with a new medication today that is supposed to clear up all deep infection. If this doesn't work I dont' know what we'll do. We're hoping to have some good news to report next week. |
UPDATE ON TWIST 8/11/2000
The infection is finally gone from Twist's hoof--Hooray!! It's trimmed as far as it can be trimmed but the sole is still too long and if it is cut any shorter we'll draw blood. We're hoping in the next two months to get his hoof trimmed back so it looks normal. We'll be getting an x-ray in the near future to see how the rotation looks. Since the sole is longer than the hoof wall Twist still favors his hoof, but maybe soon he'll be sound. |
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| HorseSong Ranch P.O. Box 1142 Inyokern, CA 93527 Phone: 760-377-3232 |