Abused pony in Vladivostok, Russia. Need help!.

Welcome to the forum!

Knowing situation in Russia I'm not surprised. I feel very sorry for the pony as well as for you (as there are no resources there really to help). The pony definitely needs professional help and learning yourself while not impossible is quite hard, especially with such tough case. I'd give it a try, but there is a possibility you'll have to put him down (sorry if it sounds harsh).

Here are some resources, however most are in English... :(

Bare Foot Horse --> here we go with russian version! :) Старый Друг - Здоровье и содержание

Iron Free Hoof

I took the liberty of posting your information on another forum. The resident professional farrier replied, and this is what he had to say:

Given that the owner has shared that neither veterinary or professional farrier services are available in her area, there is sadly little or nothing beyond humane euthanasia that can be done in this case.

The congenital defects, combined with years of poor hoof care, have left this pony with insurmountable challenges.

The hind end could be dramatically improved with a proper trim but the damage due arthritis is already evident and permanent.

The congenital defects in the forelimbs cannot be corrected. There are orthotics that could be applied that may allow the horse to move more easily but it is unlikely he would ever be completely pain free.

If the owner wanted to ship him stateside, I might give it a go as a project but only if the pain could be significantly reduced. Step one would be a proper trim followed immediately by a DDFT tenotomy and rail shoes on the front.

Given the circumstances provided, the owner should probably put the horse down.

This is just a cross bred pony. Probably has some eastern steppe pony in it. The head doesn't have the bulbous shape of true miniature dwarfs.

Either way, the limb defects are largely congenital with a mix of added damage due poor farriery care.

To offer any help at all would require radical changes to the trim and some pretty serious orthotics/surgery up front.

The hinds were left far too long and the trim attempt makes the imbalance much worse. You could easily and safely remove nearly half that hoof length and better balance the hinds. If done correctly, the immediate relief on the hocks would be dramatic.

The front feet are a different story, particularly the right front. Subluxation of the pastern and probably the DIP joints. Massive medial/lateral imbalance associated with limb conformation.

A tenotomy would release the DDFT tension and allow the right fore to be trimmed and balanced in the D/P plane. Orthotics would be required to address the serious M/L issues. Even then, it's a management protocol, not a cure.

The only thing he has going for him is his small mass. There's more hope for these little guys because there is less mass to distribute across available surface area. The trick is in getting that surface area balanced under the deformed limb. That means putting surface area where the foot can't go. This is a huge advantage that farriers have over just a barefoot trim. We can create support well beyond the natural perimeter of the foot and move load distribution anywhere we want it.

Won't matter anyway. The owner has already indicated there are no professional quality services available. Even shipping is limited. She would have to find a way to get the horse to Japan first. From there, shippers are available to transport the pony to just about anywhere in the world. The cost would be extremely prohibitive.

Find a way to get the pony from Russia to Dr. Reddens facility in Versailles Kentucky and it might have some small chance at being pasture comfortable. Not sound, but possibly comfortable enough to live out it's life at a walk.

Would probably run around $15,000 to transport the horse here and pay for the vet and farrier fees.

Having a farrier go there would cost transportation, board and service fees of $500 per day. Probably around $9,000 total.

In this world, whether human or animal, money often decides our quality of life or even if we get to live at all. Kinda sucks, but that's the way it is. Last I heard, Bill Gates has around $40 Billion sitting around. Someone like him could make things happen for this pony. Short of that, his future doesn't look good.

* * *

None of which sounds very hopeful. But given that he *does* yet have spirit and spunk, and that he's not reluctant to walk and doesn't quite seem to be in excruciating pain...I think whatever you can do will be noble and helpful. Starting with a reasonable hoof trim. Just see where you can get with the resources available, and I think he'll let you know when it's time...

I so commend you for taking on this horse! You have my utmost respect for this!

Unfortunately I agree with what Bubba's farrier said tho Afraid that even if the probs were originally 'fixable' by a *good* hoof care practitioner & vet, whatever you can offer now, even assuming very good professional care, is likely too little, way too late. Maybe worth a try, but I wouldn't consider it fair to allow the poor boy to live in pain for much longer, so if you can't get him comfortable soon(permanent painkillers likely being a necessary part), the kindest thing you can probably do is put him down. Can't believe this boy's also been allowed to keep his balls too! If they bred him, that's another criminal offense IMO... but there's no accounting for some animal breeders!

loosie, it's RUSSIA, not US (Canada, whatever). People look very differently on fixing animals there. Keeping cats, dogs, horses untouched is quite a norm in many countries.

OK, did discount that point...

He is a dwarf and a fairly severe one at that.

Here we have a person that makes magic shoes that can help many but if you do not have access to a farrier that will not help. But maybe you can get more info?

Little Magic Shoes

Keep in mind they also suffer other issues.

Chronic sinuitis is common in dwarfs as they can inhale feed into the sinuses causing an infection.

Early onset arthritis.

URI infections

Be very wary of ever sedating him as dwarfs do not do well at all with sedation.

They often have a soft pallette (collapsing trachea etc) issues that makes putting an air way in impossible

You should get him checked by an equine vet or someone who knows a lot about horses could possibly give you an over- view. If you were willing to let him go, You could search for non- profit equine rescues. They will take the horse and nurse him back to health then adopt him into a permanent home. Or you could ship him over- seas to a vet or equine rescue. It may be costly but the ASPCA could give you a grant.

JustLope, it's Russia. There are not too many eq vets there, as well as rescues (if any), and there is no ASPCA (or grants) either.

I want him to be shipped to the states!! Is that a possibility?

You have 15,000.00 to spare? Sadly, that is about what it would take in vetting, permits, shipping and initial farrier bills.