Re: RC: Update on crooked legged foal

[BMcCrary27@aol.com]

In a message dated 08/31/2000 1:25:34 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
ralston@AESOP.RUTGERS.EDU writes:

<< Just a note to update you on the foal.  The owner of the farm had his vet 
 come out an do the Periosteal Stripping.  Total cost was under $100, the vet 
 put the foal down and laid him on top of two bales of hay and performed the 
 surgery.  All went well, the legs are looking straighter everyday and he is 
 getting along fine.  He did rip the stiches out 3 days early, but we have 
 been giving him penecillin and so far no infection.  Thanks so much to you 
 and all of the people that sent the emails offering their advice.  It is a 
 good thing to have a horse chain in time of need.  Thanks for posting the 
 flyer.
 
 Our daughter had a foal born of a !/2 Arab mare and a Trakehner sire that 
had the same problem and the same treatment.  Be sure to keep the foal's 
hooves trimmed the way you want his legs to grow, consistently, before he 
reaches 6 months of age.  This is extremely helpful, as the legs are young 
and maleable and will follow the way the hooves are trimmed, i.e. if he toes 
in, trim him low on the inside so his feet will reach for the high side, the 
outside, thus straightening out eventually.  We've done this to two foals who 
didn't have anything really serious, just a tendency to toe out, so we had 
them trimmed low on the outside, and in time the feet reached for the high 
side, the inside, and now the legs and feet are nice and straight.  Our 
daughter's horse went on to become quite a jumper.

Barbara