The owner of a pony who damaged ligaments so badly, her fetlock was displaced has urged others not to give up hope, as she is back in the saddle a year later.
Michelle Clark’s Welsh section D mare Thornynewside Rambling Rose was given a poor prognosis after the field accident in December 2020, and Michelle was advised to put her down — but she has now been back in ridden walk work for two weeks.
“She’s made such an amazing recovery,” Michelle told H&H. “I can’t explain how it felt to get back on.”
Michelle had loaned “Luna”, who is now eight, to a college to continue her education, as her job as a carer meant she had limited time. It was on Boxing Day she was injured in the field.
“The vet thought she might have gone down a hole and turned, as she’d completely ruptured both ligaments on one side of her fetlock,” Michelle said. “He could manipulate the bone out of place, and Luna was on three legs.”
Luna went to Liphook equine hospital, where scans revealed the extent of the damage.
“At that point they said the worst case was that it would never heal and she’d have to be put down,” Michelle said. “People were telling me I should put her down, but I couldn’t do that.”
Luna was fitted with a cast, and was on box rest for six to seven months.
“Another miracle was when the vet came to take the cast off; he said don’t be shocked because there will be loads of bruising and sores but there was nothing,” Michelle said.
“I take my hat off to the vet for the job he did, and although he said she’d need it on for eight to 12 weeks, in the end it was only six.”
Luna then got the all-clear to go out, at the end of last summer. Michelle believes the course of indiba, or radio frequency, treatment she had helped, as scans before and after the course showed a significant improvement, and also feeding to boost her chances of healing well.
“The vet said she was looking great,” Michelle said. “And when I got on her again, I bit the bullet and took her out. Before the injury, she used to be spooking at everything but she was like a different horse so I think the time off helped her.
“To go from thinking I’d lose my best friend to this; I can’t explain it. But I want people to know not to give up hope.”
You might also be interested in:
‘Heart-wrenching’ final goodbye to Welsh cob who beat the world
‘He was a horse no one expected anything from, but he gave everything’
‘Don’t give up hope’ says owner of grass sickness survivor
Joey dropped to his lowest weight of 260kg from his original weight of 420kg
Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round
Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.
