Posts Tagged ‘trick horse
Maintaining Ringbone: Minnow’s Trip to New Bolton
In 2008 Minnow was diagnosed with Ringbone, essentially a form of equine arthritis, it is a bone growth in the pastern or coffin joint of a horse. 5 years ago I took Minnow to New Bolton Center, an internationally renowned large animal hospital, after initial x-rays and visits from my vet could not determine why Minnow had suddenly gone lame.
When I discovered he had High Ringbone, I was in shock, and saddened that his riding and competition carrier with me was over at the age of 15. Initially I tested out joint injections with Minnow, which didn’t help much – you can read more about that journey HERE. So that left me maintaining the pain he had with bute on the occasions he performed or was a little extra sore. He was retired from any strenuous activity, including riding.
Over the years we tried various supplements, with little to no improvement, in the hopes to make him a bit more comfortable. So when Minnow turned 20 this year I decided to take him back to New Bolton in the hopes of finding some better options in managing his pain in the coming years.
I wanted to write this post to document the findings of our visit, mostly for my own records, but also to help anyone else struggling to help a horse with severe high ringbone.
Our trip to New Bolton started off with a lameness examination, which it was determined Minnow is 3 out of 5 degrees lame on his left front. On that left front he has bony enlargements that you can both see and feel on his pastern region. Neither of his feet are sensitive to hoof testers though.
Minnow gets around fairly well on the farm, and he will run and buck with his brothers on occasion – it’s just hard to see him limp knowing that he has some degree of pain. After his lameness examination we decided to get him radiographs – because there wasn’t much the vet’s could recommend without seeing how much his ringbone has progressed.
Once the radiographs were up we were able to compare them to the ones we had taken in 2008. It was immediately noticed that Minnow had a loss of joint space on the inside of his left pastern joint as well as bony growth. The vet told us that Minnow’s body is trying to fuse the joint in order to stop movement which is causing pain. This can take years, maybe 10 or more, and is a very slow process.
Sadly with this significant arthritis in the pastern joint, there are not many options for Minnow’s reduced pain. They could surgically fuse the joint, but this would require several months of post-operative care (and the need for a cast) and may not make him pain free – just more comfortable. At 20 years old I just didn’t think this was a good option for Minnow and likely would cause him more distress and pain in the long run.
The vet recommended we give him 1 gram of bute leading up to any performances or if he seems exceptionally sore, and to limit his movement by maybe turning him out in a smaller space. She said any supplements likely won’t improve him much and any effects would be short lived. She also said we could experiment with different types of shoeing or boots, but that is a whole trial and error process and there may be nothing out there that would help him.
I asked if his pain would continue to get worse as he gets older, but she said that most horses with high ringbone have higher and lower degrees of pain throughout their life and some just have their pain stay about even.
It was a bit disheartening to learn that there wasn’t some magical solution that could make Minnow more comfortable, but I sort of expected this outcome.
I’ve decided to look into different types of shoeing/pads for him – to see if there is anything that just might make him feel a little bit better. I’m hoping to document the process on the blog by video taping him before and again with each shoeing option. I’m going to try Ground Control Shoes from the Natural Farrier first – although I’m not entirely hopeful, I figure it can’t hurt to try!
I know that someday the time will come that Minnow may be too sore to perform and train with me (something that he loves more than anything), but I also know that he will let me know when that time is here.
On a side note I noticed this framed picture hanging on the wall in the billing department on my way out. The note reads:
Because I knew and loved Stormy, and still do, I’d like to help pay her hospital bill. My best wishes to Stormy’s owner, Mike Pryor, as well.
Marguerite Henry
Please relay my gratitude to Stormy’s surgeons for their skills and generosity.
July 24, 1993
Stormy developed a tumor on her udder in the early part of 1993 and had surgery done at New Bolton. She recovered and was able to make her last Pony Penning appearance that summer. Stormy passed away in Pennsylvania, far from her Chincoteague home, on November 24th, 1993. (From Misty’s Heaven)
Chincoteague Ponies in the Snow
Last week we got a little bit of snow in Pennsylvania, so I took the opportunity to take some pictures of the boys in the snow. Always ones to put on a show, the boys did not disappoint in making funny faces and looking oh so cute covered in the white stuff. Enjoy!
Announcing the Super Pony! DVD Release
The day has finally come! It’s time to announce the official release of the brand-new Super Pony DVD, staring the talented Minnow from Painting Pony and his sidekick, Ammo the Dachshund!
Thanks to my talented brother and Depthink Productions, we began filming for the DVD this past summer, and I’m so excited that it’s finally ready to share with everyone! I think everyone will really enjoy getting to learn more about all the ponies and watch several of Minnow & Ammo’s favorite “super” performances.
Check out the DVD Trailer:
ON THIS DVD
Trainer, Kyley DiLuigi, introduces us to Super Pony, the alter ego of the talented Chincoteague Pony, Minnow! Watch as he shows us some of his favorite trick performances, many of which have been performed at expos, fairs, schools, and even the Annual Chincoteague Pony Penning. Several performances also include Minnow’s lovable sidekick, Ammo the Dachshund, as well as other members of the Painting Pony crew. In addition to 5 featured videos, this DVD also contains 2 bonus videos: a visit to Iron Horse Farm, home to the Painting Ponies; and a talk given by Kyley about everyone’s favorite Chincoteague Pony, Misty of Chincoteague.
PAINTING PONY
In 2007, Painting Pony was founded when Kyley DiLuigi decided to bring her paints from art school out to the farm where she kept her 14-year-old pony, Minnow. That cold winter day Minnow became the World’s First Painting Chincoteague Pony as he created his very first masterpiece. As it became evident that Minnow had a gift that he truly loved, the paintings he created began to pile higher and higher. Feeling the need to share Minnow’s art with the world, Kyley started PaintingPony.com and the rest is history!
The Super Pony DVD is approx. 20 minutes and is available for purchase at $12 in our shop.
There is still plenty of time to order your copy for Holiday Gifts!
As a special gift to all our followers, enter code FREESHIP at checkout to receive free shipping on your entire order! (domestic orders only).
You can grab your own copy HERE, and we also have great gift sets available that include this DVD HERE.
2012 Judged Trail Competition at BCHP
Last weekend we took Blitz and Boomer to the Bucks County Horse Park to compete in a Judged Trail Competition. You get to ride through the park stopping at obstacles along the way where they judge you on your performance.
We attended the event last year as well, which you can check out Boomer & Jet competing here.
We had a blast on the trail, this year I thought the course was a bit easier than last years though, but it was still a fun time and great experience for the ponies. We filmed some of the obstacles – but missed a few along the way, mostly because we forgot!
Hope you enjoyed watching the boys compete – we’re already looking forward to next year’s event!
The New Painting Pony Introduction Video
You might remember that back in July the Painting Ponies and I began filming for the a brand new Painting Pony DVD. And while my Brother, Taylor, still has lots of editing to do before we can release our big Trick Performances DVD, I just couldn’t wait any longer to share our new Intro Video for the website.
It makes me smile to think of how far the boys have come in their training. And in case it’s not obvious enough in the video, the boys love to perform! I hope you enjoyed the video and learning a little bit more about each member of our painting crew. I love being able to share them with all of you, if only to bring a smile to your face today.
We hope to release our new DVD of Minnow’s big performances soon, but until then you can check out The Trick Ponies of Chincoteague DVD.
And if you’re looking for some video work make sure you check out Envision Event Media and Depthink Productions!
