MEDINA

15.3hh Thoroughbred Mare
Foaled approximately 1996

This is Medina, a 15 year old Thoroughbred mare who came to my attention when I was contacted by Cathy of Polo Pony Rescue.  I don't know how she came to be hurt.

She has lovely manners, and is currently working to find her special someone in the herd.  Ronan has spent some time with her, and she has also hung around Remy and Daisy.  The other mares are pretty tough on her, but hay, older ladies do love to put a pretty girl in her place!  She's doing well so far, and Dr. Zadick is coming Monday to see this knee and give his opinion about her future.... (UPDATE: Dr. Z sez there's nothing he can tell about the 'bad' knee without x-rays, and her former owner refuses to release those. To get new x-rays wouldn't tell us a lot with all the calcification, and I'd have to trailer her somewhere to get them.  He indicates he thinks she has a bone chip in her "good" knee as well, dang it.  So, eventually, I suspect her knees will be the death of her.  Meantime, she's doing pretty darn well....)

She was a polo mare and is clearly still quite athletic, as she gets around pretty well on this knee. But as Lucifer showed us, a bad knee can be terribly debilitating.  Cathy hoped that Medina could enjoy some final years just being a horse.  

Now, in the hopes that her former owner would step up for her, just a little, I haven't given Medina's whole story here until now.  Facts are, Cathy took care of Medina's board for a month or two before she came here, because her former owner, finding her "useless", simply abandoned her.  She came up with transport costs from her own pocket, and has donated a little as well.  Cathy saved this mare's life.  The former owner refused even $50 towards her transport here; wasn't the least bit interested in where she was going, and has in fact gone so far as to refuse to release her medical records (which were requested several times, in hopes that seeing her x-rays, and knowing the exact injury and it's duration, would help us manage her leg to her best advantage. It is my belief that those records would show that she could have been helped, but he chose not to.).  I have nothing but contempt for people who will use and discard animals like this.  Without Cathy's help, and mine, Medina would be dead, or slaughterbound at this point, I'm certain.

As it is, she's a happy part of the mini-herd composed of herself, Star, Daisy and Remy. She's a tough mare who takes no crap from other horses, and gets around pretty darn well considering that knee.  We'll be putting an equisock on the hoof for that leg, because the peculiar angle of the lower leg causes her to sometimes drag her foot, deforming the hoof capsule. She'll never be rideable. Otherwise, her appetite is excellent and she seems very happy here.   No thanks to the jerk whose children learned to ride on her, and who competed her in the polo fields.

MEDINA IS NOW SPONSORED!  Thank you, Irene Jansen, for helping this lovely mare have a few golden years before the damaged knee takes the final toll!