the white stallion moved off to follow his ladies. As he took a step, I could see that the broken bones had actually never fused. Instead, as he lifted his left fore off the ground, the angle at the fracture line changed and the lower limb dangled limply as the bones once again separated.


He stopped, stretched out and urinated – this may seem an insignificant detail, but he stretched out! This injury was not inhibiting him from normal behavior – obviously, he had even managed to get his mares bred. When he was done, he turned back toward his little herd and walked briskly after them.


He was mechanically lame – not from physical pain but rather from the physical unevenness of his forelimbs. This was something I could relate to as I have a two inch discrepancy in my legs and walk with a significant limp. Twelve years ago, I was diagnosed with bone cancer in my left hip joint and left side of my pelvis. The cure was a surgical fix – they removed the entire left side of my pelvis and the top of my femur. As so much bone was removed, a hip replacement was not an option and I was left with literally


no boney attachment of my left leg to my body. My leg shortened by two inches – without bone above, the remaining femur shifted up into the empty space. I have what is called a “pseudo-socket.” Only soft tissue functions as a hip. At the time of my surgery, I was told I would most likely need crutches the rest of my life or, at best, a cane. I was told to expect a sedentary lifestyle and to give up my pursuit of a career in equine medicine.


We have such


preconceptions about what kinds of injuries are survivable


Yet here I was, an equine veterinarian, walking through a wildlife preserve with nothing but a camera to assist me. I guess I understood this stallion very well.


We have such preconceptions about what kinds of injuries are survivable and about how we should rehabilitate these animals. Had this horse suffered this injury in captivity, he would likely have been put down. Had his owner decided to try to save him,


they would have confined him to a stall where he would have had a very good chance of foundering on his good leg. Although the injury did not heal ideally, he has compensated so well precisely because he was allowed to continue to move while he was recovering.


How do we decide whether a creature should live or die? This stallion would have definitely been given a very poor prognosis for return to activity and even for survival. Good thing no one told him that!


To see more photos of the stallion and other semi-feral horses in Vieques, go to the Simply Sound Horse Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/ SimplySoundHorse and check out the photo albums.


Shari C. Silverman, VMD, is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Veterinary School of Medicine, Medical Acupuncture for Veterinarians in Colorado, and has taken and continues to take other courses in veterinary re- habilitation medicine. For information about acupuncture, spinal manipulation or laser therapy, as well as other animal health issues, visit www.SimplySoundHorse.com. Contact Dr. Silverman at 908-963-6904 to schedule an appointment or a consultation.


Holistic Horse™ • August/September 2012 • Vol.19, Issue 80


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