Ava
Ava was rescued from entering the slaughter pipeline in October 2024. She was lame and showed signs of having had a foal pulled from her recently.
Initial veterinary exam included a pregnancy check as it was unclear if she could have been bred back even though she was determined to be around 25 years old.
Ava’s lameness exam showed her to be 4/5 lame on both front legs. She showed carpal lesions that are visible at a distance and also palpable. Her left foreleg bowed laterally at the carpus and the right foreleg was slightly bowed medially.
It’s possible Ava was born as a “windswept foal” and was not given corrective support during her time as a foal and that might explain why her front legs were both bowed to the left. Windswept foals are typically built as such due to mispositioning in utero. This condition can sometimes be correctable but only if addressed early and consistently through bracing and/or surgical measures.
Xrays of Ava’s left carpus showed global joint remodeling and calcification of soft tissue structures. In other words, Ava was kept lame and in a deteriorating condition for her entire life span.
More About Ava
- In Assessment
- Chestnut
- Mare
- 1999
- QH Cross
- Colorado