Georgina
Georgina was rescued in October 2025 after being sent to auction and in danger of entering the slaughter pipeline. It was clear she was very lame and in a lot of pain.
Veterinary exam indicated that she has a stiff, stilted gait in the front end, with a severely shortened weight bearing stance phase. Her pasterns remain upright and there is little ventral excursion of the fetlocks. There is either heel or fetlock pain. Georgina’s lameness is pronounced at the walk with a 5/5 lameness score.
X-rays show either a chronic avulsion fracture of the suspensory apparatus, or a large calcification of the suspensory ligament that was secondary to soft tissue trauma such as a core lesion (tear) or traumatic blow. These lesions are seen in high speed performance horses such as racehorses, steeplechasers or jumpers.
X-ray images of the left distal forelimb also showed a chronically calcified lesion in the proximal suspensory apparatus, just distal to the medial sesamoid bone, possibly due to an old fracture of the sesamoid or from a poorly-healed ligament tear.
Georgina’s stilted gait suggested an extreme avoidance of fetlock excursion distally/ventrally, indicating this fetock and its structural hammock are painful and compromised.
Georgina was humanely euthanized due to significant pain and poor quality of life.
More About Georgina
- In Assessment
- Sorrel
- Mare
- 2005
- Quarter Horse
- Colorado