Emerson
Emerson was rescued during July 2026 to prevent him from entering the slaughter pipeline or being sold off under “false” pretences.
Emerson is an approximately 20 year old palomino gelding. There is a 3 inch midline forelock “skin tag” about 1 inch thick which is part of a larger forehead scarring complex. This may be due in part to an over-abundant healing complex or a congenital “wattle” produced as part of the in utero maturation of the 6th pharyngeal arch, as is common among horses and ruminant species.
His body condition score (BCS) is 4/9, and he has old, bilateral foreleg heel bulb and pastern lacerations, with the most prominent scar lying diagonally across the right front pastern, over the lateral heel bulb. This former injury with prominent scarring possibly affected the lateral neurovascular bundle beneath. The right fore heel bulbs are moderately contracted, indicating chronic and uncontrolled heel pain.
Emerson’s right front hoof has a lateral scar over the lateral coronet band, with scarred lateral hoof wall extending from the growth region distally. The lateral quarter of the hoof wall, approximately 1/2 way distal to the weight-bearing surface, has calved away, possibly due to weakness caused by the defective scar or from uneven weight-bearing, or likely both, creating a difficult corrective shoeing problem, should it be attempted.
Emerson is grade 3/5 lame on the left front leg, with both inside front legs more pronounced in
lameness at the trot on a small lunge circle on firm gravel footing, indicating possible bilateral heel pain which is pronounced with the shearing centrifugal forces of lunging.
Findings from Xrays:
The right fore pastern region shows grave osteolytic and osteo-degenerative changes in the P2 bone on both lateral and DP views, with a large extension spicule extending medially and caudally from the proximal-lateral aspect of the proximal non-articular periosteum. It is surmised that this level of osteopathy may be nearly missing the more ventral suspensory apparatus and articular planes of bone and soft tissue, as exam findings indicate lameness is more pronounced on the contralateral left foreleg. This degree of bone remodeling is most likely due to a chronic bone infection that did not affect the articular weight-bearing portions of the coffin or pastern joints, but impacted the periosteum throughout and synovial structures.
Combined with devastating radiographic evidence of proliferative and lytic lesions of the right fore pastern bone, it is not radiographically explainable why the left foreleg carries a stronger lameness score on the straight-away. Radiographs are limited in their ability to portend or diagnose lameness severity. Without diagnostic blocks to localize lesions and characterize the nature and location of pain origination, these images only provide evidence of pathology, whether it be inflammatory, infectious, or oncogenic to name a few etiologies.
The presence of massive right fore short pastern osteoarthritis (OA) suggests a bony change, but the left fore may carry more prominent pain, for instance, in the soft tissues unanalyzed by imaging done today, of the deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT) which may be part of the caudal heel pain syndrome (formerly called Navicular Syndrome).
Regardless, Emerson’s quality of life, chronic and likely acute-on-chronic episodes were
significant enough today to adversely affect quality of life (QOL) or usability. He is not “pasture sound.”
Because there are no treatments to successfully manage pain or bring improvement to the damaged limbs and supporting structure, Emerson was humanely euthanized. How many humans failed this lovely horse by leaving him in degraded health conditions until he was dumped at an auction to wring the last dollar out of him!
More About Emerson
- In Assessment
- Palomino
- Gelding
- 2006
- QH Cross
- Colorado