Max
Max was rescued in October 2025 with several other horses — all run through low end auctions and in grave danger of entering the slaughter pipeline.
As the vet evaluation and report indicate, Max was in terrible pain and extremely lame.
“Max is 5/5 lame at the walk in both front legs, greater in the left front than the right. There is visible, palpable enlargement of tissues beneath the hair of the pastern joint region, indicating pronounced “low ringbone” or proliferative changes associated with the pastern joints.”
The lameness exam also indicated that the pastern joints have only 2 degrees of rotational motion, but with long-term inflammation and arthritic changes, articular cartilage loss may lead to severe arthritic and bone-on-bone pain. Max’s pain is bilateral, but even more so on the left side.
The result of X-rays revealed that both left and right thoracic limb pasterns had significant damage and changes, more pronounced and advanced in the left forelimb.
“Significant pastern joint OA (osteoarthritis) changes to origin and insertion points of joint capsule, with severe articular bone loss in left fore. Pronounced sidebone can be seen medially and laterally in bilaterally symmetrical structures. Left fore also has changes in fetlock and coffin bone joints.”
With no options for relief and the level of deterioration, Max was humanely euthanized to end his long term suffering. It’s important to remember that due to the damage to his pastern joints, there is also significant compensation elsewhere for him to have tried to manage being upright, moving and even standing still would have been very painful.
Max is another example of a beautiful horse being used up, thrown away and left to suffer long before being dumped at a low end auction. A responsible horse owner never lets their horse suffer!
More About Max
- In Assessment
- Chestnut
- Gelding
- 2000
- Belgian Cross
- Colorado