Nancy's Story

Four years ago I bred a delightful black filly, but stupidly I let my mum name her - so Nancy it was! She was as cute as a button with a blaze and three white sox. When she was 3-years-old we moved her down to our 20 acre farmlet from my parents' farm. Everything went well for 2 days, then on the third day on my way home from coffee with my friend Jayne, I spotted Nancy in trouble. She had kicked out at a horse across the fence and had got her left leg over the top wire and the right back leg over the second wire. A struggle had ensued and the wire sliced through Nancy's flesh down to the bone. Panicked I called Jayne to come help, grabbed a halter, the first aid kit and wire cutters and raced back down.
 
Poor Nancy had nearly bled out, her gums were blue and she was very, very cold. I cut her down she stood trembling and in shock, next I bandaged her legs to keep the little blood she had left in and waited for the vet. I seriously didn't expect Nancy to be able to walk, but she could, slowly and clearly in a lot of pain but the function was still there in her back legs. The vet came and we sorted her out and therein became my daily routine of bangdaging Nancy's legs. The only thing that could soak up all of the blood and pus were large nappies bandaged over the top. 
 
The first hurdle was that the vet expected an infection to brew in her cannon bones, and the second was that her joint capsule was expected to break down on her left hind leg. Neither of these things occurred so we started down the long road to recovery. Nancy was still a young horse and was such a wonderful patient during what must have been a horrendously painful time. She would stand with her back legs spread so I could bandage her legs from fetlock to stifle without bumping the other. Never once did she raise a foot to hurt me.  

Gradually she improved and I held out hope for a full recovery as a riding horse but after a year the hope faded as the hock, which was down to the bone had enlarged and restricted movement in her joint. She was happy enough and could still run jump and play with the others but any sort of load carrying would be out of the question. Luckily for Nancy she has fabulous bloodlines and she will have a long and happy life as a broodmare. We have leased her to a stud farm and she will return to us once they have finished with her. Eventually she will live out her days here with us. However the reality is this injury cost us $6000 and a year of treatment.

See blog: Responses to Nancy's Story for more inspirational stories.

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