On January 4, 2021 we noticed my horse, Mozzy limping and
could barely walk. At first, we thought
it was the frozen, uneven ground, but no, it was something called
laminitis. Mozzy had it once before just
after we purchased him in Wyoming in 2019, but it was just a mild case.
Laminitis is an inflammation of the laminae, which is the structure in the hoof
that holds the hoof (pedal) bone in place and protects it.
Some horses were
bred (Mustangs, Morgans, Mountain Horses, etc) to be "easy keepers". That is, their metabolism allowed them to
store fat in the summer on grasses and then spend the winters foraging, digging
for dried grass, sagebrush and tree bark.
Wild horses still do this. When
they are put in an environment where they are overfed all year on grass that
has been fertilized and watered, they may develop what is in humans called Type
2 diabetes. In horses, it is called EMS
(Equine Metabolic Syndrome) or IR (Insulin Resistance). There are other syndromes that can develop
also. It involves systemic inflammation
beginning in the fat stores and settling in the feet.
I realized this
was happening to Mozzy and reviewed what we had been feeding. It was almost a double dose of both sugar
rich Utah hay and way overfeeding on alfalfa-grass cubes. In Wyoming, the horses had done fine on
free-choice crappy low sugar Wyoming hay in minus 35 degree weather, wind and hail. We spent $9,000 on a shelter and they rarely
used it, often preferring to hunker down near a brick lean-to. So, we hadn't felt it a priority to build a
shelter here in Utah.
I fell in a
ditch of sadness, heartache and guilt, but I must take action. No blame, just action in the right
direction. I drastically reduced the hay
and cube amounts, started Mozzy on herbs and supplements and pain meds. I spent hours and days on end researching and
praying to know what to do.
As he got worse,
the prayers and emotions got more intense.
We gave him blessings, I spent hours caring for him. I even thought at
one point we might lose him. I saw
online the stories and photos of how this ailment is affecting so many horses
now days. I saw the padded hoof boots,
the special heart shoes, the fancy heated leg wraps, the box stalls filled with
soft bedding. All my horse had was the
snowy, frozen ground to lie down and stand on.
No shelter from the swirling snow or freezing rain. We did get some straw and put it on the snow,
for him to lay on, but he actually preferred the soft snow, choosing a
different spot each time. We had to
carry his food and water to him at the end of the field because he couldn't
even walk to the water barrel.
The prognosis is
at least 6 to 12 months to recovery, if at all.
Once the laminae become inflamed and fail, the pedal bone rotates and
may drop, even penetrating the sole of the foot. It is basically irreversible until or if the
hoof wall and laminae can recover and grow again. It can afflict one or more of the feet. In Mozzy, it was all four.
He was barely
eating and wouldn't eat much of his supplements. Had to syringe his pain med in with
applesauce. I pendulum tested for the
supplements and the amounts. I
constantly researched and prayed.
After a week, he
seemed worse, so we called a vet for an emergency visit on a Sunday. He confirmed the diagnosis and checked his
vital signs. His gut, heart and lungs seemed fine. The vet wrapped his front feet in a foam pad
and duct tape. He couldn't determine
whether the pedal bone had rotated without X-rays. We were advised on feed and pain med. Which we were already doing. He looked at the hay and said it looked ok,
but only feed 20# day dry weight. The
foam pads didn't seem to help much. We
re-did them 3 days later and then they fell off 3 days after that.
Over the next
weeks, Mozzy had his ups and downs. I
spent a lot of time crying….and crying out to God. I ran energy, did pendulum therapy, made a
special hoof "goop" with essential oils. I was even inspired that Mozzy had some
trapped emotions that could be released.
They were: REJECTION and UNWORTHY. I knew horses could be sensitive, but hadn't
realized how much. Somehow I seem to
attract the highly sensitive ones.
Mozzy is a
gaited Morgan, but his gait is very uncomfortable to ride when he does his
"camel walk" or pace.
Sometimes, he does a "stepping pace" which is better. I constantly mentioned this to people who
inquired about his gait. I complained
that it was uncomfortable, but I could deal with it because I bought him for
his disposition, not gait. I never said
it out loud, but the thought crossed my mind. "I wonder if I need to get a
different horse with a better gait.
There have been some stressful moments wondering if we'd fall off a
cliff because of his weird gait."
Once Mozzy's
emotions were released, I apologized to him.
I told him I loved him and really did want him to be MY horse. I was OK with the gait, besides it was super
good exercise for my hips! Anyway, after
that, a miracle happened. He actually
walked ALMOST normal for a few steps and followed me for a ways.
I was also
inspired to ask a blessing on the hay. I
thought that if the Lord Jesus Christ could turn water into wine, He could
surely transmute some hay so it was healthier for horses. Before this, the Wyoming hay tested 6% sugar
and the Utah hay, 12%. I didn't ask for
a specific percentage, only that it was for the horses' highest good. After that, the Utah hay tested 6%.
The next weeks
there were a few downs, but mostly ups as Mozzy improved a little bit each
day. By a week ago, he was galloping around
the field and shoving Shrek off the feed.
Praise God!!!! What a Miracle!!!
I believe this
was a wake up call for both of us. Not
only about equine nutrition, but our own.
Both of us have sugar addictions. (Yes, I do wish the sugar in éclairs
could be transmuted. J)
My mom was diabetic and I have a son with Type 2 diabetes. I believe Mozzy volunteered to take this on
himself to teach US. There was even one
point I told Mozzy I would take his pain if I could. Why?
Because I had a nice, warm home to come into. I had pain meds. I had a sauna and a whirlpool bath and a cozy
fireplace and a comfy, warm bed. When
all he had was a frozen, snowy ground.
What does all
this mean about Me? I don't deserve to
own a horse? Bad horse owner. The challenge was to turn it into a
positive. The subconscious/Holy Ghost
loves to answer questions. (They never
stop "working".) Instead of making a pronouncement like "I am a
Good Horse Owner." (Sooooo ?) But
a question opens things up like "Why do I deserve to own a
horse?" Wow, the subconscious gets
going on that immediately with all kinds of positive thoughts and
emotions. The mind and heart are flooded
with them.
And….the questions keep coming. What have I learned?
What can I still learn?
The lessons keep coming.
Update: December 7, 2021--This has been a roller coaster experience. Mozzy has had numerous relapses, mostly because of letting him on grass for a few minutes. And then, another after a trimming. And then another after just cleaning out his feet. There have been many tears over this. And clearing more trapped emotions, pendulum work and other energetic healing. Several times I have become discouraged and was inclined to find another home for him. But....who wants a lame horse...who requires extensive supplementation and can not eat fresh grass?! In my prayers, the answer so far has been, keep him and take care of him. Even if I can never ride him again, I owe it to him to try and give him a pain free life. And he will tell me when he's had enough.
Update: December 15, 2021--This was the sorrowful day. I could tell something was amiss when he wouldn't finish his supplements and could barely stand up. Once he got up, he couldn't move. I had to take water and food to him. We had a conversation and he said he was done with the pain. I told him how much we appreciated him and his bravery. A call was made to the vet, who came within 2 hours. Mozzy required a sedative and pain shot to even be able to walk up the driveway. We couldn't get a trailer up it or the vet's trailer down because of the snow. Soon, it was all taken care of and our good byes said. Poor Shrek didn't understand and grieved for many days for his buddy, looking up the driveway and calling.
