Lucky Number Five

This is practically something out of Ripley's. We had a mare foal out today in the middle of the day (again) and she had a hard time foaling. As one of my managers was helping her out, he called the vet over to check something out. Soon, a whole group of us is crowded around this mare, trying to see what the heck was going on with this foal. It seems that this foal was born with an extra foot.

Yes, that's right. An extra foot. Her front left hoof was completely cloven in two, just like a calf's. The pastern is a bone that goes from the hoof to the ankle joint, and she has two. This goes beyond just an finger or toe (he he he). This is an entire extra hoof, seemingly normal with good blood supply and all. The only problem is that the ankle joint can't bend, partly because it has two separate bones connecting to it.

The prognosis for this filly is not the greatest. She won't be able to race, but she is able to stand and nurse. Other than this foot, she's perfectly normal. But her worth in the industry is low enough as it is. So she will probably be put down. This is a business, after all, and if she isn't going to be able to bring a sale price or reproduce successfully, then she has little use to the business. It's unfortunate, but it would be impossible to give her a quality life within the demands of this industry.