Pretty Broke (ty)

Pretty Broke

I got Ty early March of 07'. He was my second horse,

and he was amazing all around! He was a Registered paint (pretty Broke)
& sorrel with 3 white socks and a bald face.He was born April 1st 1995. His old owners did not take very good care of him. They dropped him off at my trainers barn, his coat was
about 2inches long and burnt from the sun. He had scars all over
him from fighting with other horses, and he was under weight. He was really stiff.
We knew he had leg problems, but didnt think it was really bad. We figured out
the more you ride ty, the less stiff he was. My Trainer (Lisa Bullock) helped me
get some weight on ty, and clip all the burnt coat off of him.
Later on I started showing him in western pleasure at the blue ribbon circut, and we
were placing very well. Eventually we were getting some runner up high points, and little tropheys, which was exciting. I wanted to start showing him at the Paint shows in Arizona. I took him to the November piant show out in buckeye (empty acres), and just rode him around that weekend. Ty's legs slowly got plumper in the knee area and he walked way more stiff each day he was out in buckeye for that weekend. Once he got home, he could bearly walk, we called the vet out and they took x-rays of both of his front legs. his legs were clean, no arthurities (however you spell that) or anything, but he had navicular really bad in both front legs.

what is Navicular??

Navicular disease, which begins with inflammation of the bursa between the navicular bone and the tendon of the deep digital flexor, is a common cause of lameness(stiff, soreness) in horses.

Another way a horse can have Navicular... each horse has 3 areteries in there legs going down to the navicular bone. If there's not enough blood circulating in the foot the arteries will soon shrivel up and die in the foot. Which will cause pain, and stiffness.

You cant really get rid of Navicular. Once a horse has it, they have it. You can put the horse on ixosoprine, and a couple tabs of bute each day. But you must have a supscription from the vet. It all depends on the horse. I put ty on Bute and ixosoprine and it didnt really do anything.Sometimes speacial shoeing will help keep some of the pain down, but you have to change shoes every 6 weeks or earlier. You can get a a speacial shot, i think its called a cordizone (i cant remeber the name) its about 200$, the horse has to get the shot every 2 to 3 months, and what the shot does is just numbs the foot so the horse cant feel any pain. Nothing was woking for Ty so what i was going to do is put him into surgery.The type of surgery is called posterior digital neurectomy, where the nerve in the rear of the hoof is cut and removed so the horse doesnt have anyfeeling, and completely numb.
I talked to the vet about having this surgery done to him, but she told me there's no use, because ty's navicular bone is so roughed up, once they cut the nerve most likely the navicular bone will slice the tendon, and they'll have to put him down.
I couldn't believe the vet told me this. I just knda ignored it. Couple weeks after, Ty got really bad, and i couldnt ride him, unless i wanted to walk him around the arena like 2 times. I Finally talked to my sister-in-law about what i should do, since she had to go through the same thing kind like me years ago, and she told me i just need to put him down, because if i pastured him up north he'll still be uncomfortable and in pain. So within a week i put him down and now he is in a better place.
Ty has won me runner up ribbons, reserved high point the one year i've had him. He's even won me 450$ spurs with my name on them(sturling silver).
The week after Ty was gone ,I went to year end banquet for Blue Ribbon horse show cuircut, and Ty got me to 4th place over all in western. That night was very touching for me and my mom. we cried are eyes out.