On 16 February 2013 two ex-racehorses were rescued from Chatsworth in the Western Cape. Racehorse 911

found them neglected, starving and with infected wounds. This is their progress in the first month of rehabilitation.

The first month

Once the fillies had been removed to safety, their condition was assessed by an equine veterinarian.

Turando’s Tease was clearly thin but carried more weight than the other filly. Her left hind leg was badly swollen from the fetlock to her groin, cellulitis from an infected wound on her fetlock.

She was immediately given strong antibiotics and anti-inflammatories.

The horse’s passport indicated she was a three year old, by Lake Conniston out of Rose Ispahan (by Jallad).

Turando’s Tease

16 February 2013

The thinner filly was Silver Socks, a three year old by Lake Conniston out of Petticoat Lane by Dominion Royale.

According to the fillies’ owner in Chatsworth, Socksie was very fast and had won many races in the area. Bush racing, an underground and illicit form of racing, is rife in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape but little is known about it in the Western Cape. The owner’s statement that the horses had been used for bush racing raised an immediate alarm.

Aside from being obviously severely underfed and near starvation, Silver Socks was lame from an abcess on the coronary band of her left hind foot.

Silver Socks

16 February 2013

Racehorse 911 used the fillies’ passports to trace their history. They had been in racing training until early December 2012 before going to a dealer who passed them on to the Chatsworth owner. In just two months the fillies went from being highly conditioned athletes to this shocking condition.

Dr Peggram surmised that they had been given little if any feed and were left to their own devices to find what grazing they could in the veld.

First steps

19 February 2013

The trouble with emaciated animals is that their digestive systems are not able to cope with large amounts of food. Dr Peggram predicted the fillies would show signs of protein overload via puffy legs as they were simply not used to getting any protein. To avoid this, the horses were fed teff (which is mild on the digestive system) and oat hay as well as small amounts of concentrates.

Feeding right

19 February 2013

Rehabilitating emaciated and mistreated horses is a long-term process. Dr Peggram estimated it would take at least 6 months before the fillies would reach two thirds of the condition they carried in racing.

This process is also very costly and if it weren’t for the enormous kindness of many people who have read about the fillies and followed their story on www.racehorse911.co.za and on Facebook at Racehorse 911, and donated money for oat hay and teff, the project would not be possible. In addition, local feed company, Equus Horse Feeds offered to sponsor the fillies’ concentrates.

Kind donations

19 February 2013

A fairly small but infected wound on Turando’s Tease’s hind leg was the cause of cellulitis, a very painful inflammation which extended from her hoof to her groin. Initially it was too painful to touch and she would lift her leg so high to get away she would fall over.

Anti-inflammatories, pain killers and antibiotics were administered and soon gave her relief. The leg was hosed and bathed in cool water to soothe it and provide additional comfort.

Treatments

19 February 2013

The farrier work has also been sponsored by two very kind people who have adopted the feet of a filly each.

The first visit from the farrier revealed that their hooves were riddled with abcesses. He cut them out as best as possible, being careful not to cause too much distress.

We poulticed the worst of the abcesses and continue to do so, which seems to give them some relief. Without their little red booties (made from a nappy, shade cloth and red duct tape), the fillies can hardly walk.

Hoof care

4 March 2013

When the fillies were rescued from Chatsworth they were in such a state of depression, both physical and mental, that they had no interest in anything. They didn’t prick their ears or behave like normal horses. They ate and drank and their bodily functions were normal, but it was as though they had no spirit.

After two and a half weeks, we finally saw signs of interest coming from the horses. This picture shows them waiting at the gate for dinner. Silver Socks is on the left, Turando’s Tease is on the right.

A spark at last

4 March 2013

To start with, the fillies were placed on Equus Nice & Easy cubes. This is a low protein (9%) hay replacer. It was gentle for their stomachs and helped prevent digestive problems associated with the sudden feeding change. This was supplemented with ad-lib oat hay and teff.

After 3 weeks the feed was altered to start introducing Equus All-Time Balancer supplement and a higher protein concentrate, Equus Cool & Perform (12%).

Feeding regime

6 March 2013

One month after Silver Socks and Turando’s Tease were rescued from starvation and neglect, the fillies are starting to show signs of picking up weight.

They are still plagued by abcesses and Dr Peggram has warned that this could continue for many months as their feet suffered a great deal of abuse. They had been ridden without shoes on hard, stony uneven ground. Thin-walled and flat-soled hooves of racing Thoroughbreds accustomed to being shod, couldn’t cope with this trauma.

Gaining weight

12 March 2013

Rehabilitating emaciated horses takes a lot of feed, care and money. We wish to express a heartfelt thank you to all those who have donated feed

and sponsored farriery, veterinary care and donated blankets. If you would like to help, email admin@racehorse911.co.za. Share this

slideshow, follow the blog at www.racehorse911.co.za and like us on Facebook at Racehorse 911.

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