Background

Lilly was pulled from a kill pen in Colorado. Listed as a three-year old, she clearly showed an injury to her left foreleg, near the fetlock, that screamed 'bowed tendon'. Not knowing how old or severe the bow was, we immediately stepped up to offer her a spot in our rescue. The kill lot did not have information on her origin to provide, but it is highly suspected that she came from a racing operation. She has not been scanned for a microchip at this time. She completed quarantine in Nebraska and arrived on the farm February 13, 2022. Our sharp eyes there noticed she also appears to have been pin-fired on the opposite leg. Poor Lilly has been through a lot in her short three years!

Rehabilitation Plan

Bowed tendon rehab is straightforward. However, step one -- veterinary assessment. Full scale lameness exams plus x-rays and MRIs are needed to diagnose the degree of injury to her leg. She is still showing active swelling with some heat on the interior side.

Rehabilitation involves anywhere from 8-12 months of stall rest. During this time Lilly may be hand-walked, and as tissue begins to repair, her ability to exercise will be gradually increased.

Lilly does know how to lead and be a horse. Whether she is able to stand for the farrier is unknown at this time -- attempts to try only showed increased levels of pain on her injured leg, and so we did not push it.

Because she will have undergone constant monitoring on her legs during rehabilitation, by the time she has healed, we will know whether she can continue on to enter under-saddle work. Her bow should not limit this, but her growth plates may not be ready to begin saddle work. She's a big girl, and the last thing she needs is more stress to her legs.

Generally About Lilly

Lilly is the sweetest filly we've met in a long while. She is so willing to try, and she clearly has been in a stable environment at some point. She is comfortable in a stall, leads extremely well, and is very respectful of human interaction. She LOVES to be groomed, but has no idea what treats are (that'll change!). She is not happy to be on stall rest, but that is to be expected. She does need to put on some additional weight, but most of her leanness is really gangly youth coming through. We believe her to be about 2 years old, not a full 3 years of age. More to come as we get to know her a lot better. This horse, however, we adore already.