Background

Stanley was pulled from a kill pen in Colorado with Heidi (adopted) and Annie. Listed as a nine-year old with a "big hock" he was reportedly sound by several lot visitors. He was a favorite among the rescue group with his big personality and efforts couldn't stop a truck heading to Mexico. We agreed to take him on at the behest of many. He arrived in QT in Colorado, and his personality exploded. He is super friendly and clearly has known love at some point. His hock is not just "big" -- very likely there is a jack spavin causing issues. However, he is sound to toodle around and not currently in pain. There is no heat to his hock. He bonded strongly with Annie, who is too pregnant to travel, and thus remains in the private home that provided quarantine.

Rehabilitation Plan

Jack spavins can be tricky little devils. The bone spur interferes with the tendon, which causes pain as it is constantly being irritated. The spavin itself is more of an ugly appearance thing, and spavins can cause hock fusion. Scary as that may sound, a fused hock is a pain-free hock and causes no interference with movement.

Since Stanley is not bothered by his spavin except when he is asked to use the leg in an unnatural way-of-going (like for farrier visits or other extreme flexions) we have elected to wait until our veterinary surgeon, who we have worked with for decades, can evaluate Stanley. It is difficult to not be present for significant issues, and even more difficult to blindly trust someone we've never met. We'd want a second opinion anyhow, and so, we have elected to wait until either Stanley arrives here, or he begins to show signs of pain.

What we are anticipating: Stanley will need some kind of tenectomy or surgery on his tendon / hock. We further anticipate a moderate wait for hock fusion, which may or may not need to be encouraged medically.

If all goes well, Stanley has a high liklihood of returning to unlimited work. If his hock does not fuse, he may be companion or light riding only.

Generally About Stanley

Stanley has the biggest personality we've met in a horse in a very long while. He is all about humans. His bright eyes and expressive face exude adoration, and he is curious and friendly. He loves treats, doesn't hesitate to do what he is asked, and bonus! He gets along with other horses just as easily. He is huge--we're fairly confident he was a jumper--and athletic. But oh, such a gentle, gentle giant. We are anxious for him to come home so we can enjoy his loving personality ourselves.