For Jamie

Those of you who have been following the blog will remember that I posted a picture of Prince Wm nursing from Bella who is not him mom. Bella has not had a foal for at least three years maybe longer. So the sight of that happening was a shocker for all of us.




It certainly showed us even though Prince Wm has been away from his mother for about five months (they sold her when he was one month old) he still isn't over his desire to nurse and be close to a mother figure. Bella has alway been good with the young horses that have been here - especially Dr. Bill.



I wanted to post these two pictures of Bella and Prince Wm because I thought they both spoke volumes. They do almost look like mother and son.






Wishing everyone a Happy Easter!

Still Needing to Be A Baby!

For those of you who have read about Prince William, you know that he was cruelly weaned from his mother when the owners sold her when he was only one month old. One month - I can't imagine. Left to fend for himself with other horses then stuck on a trailer and shipped from Missouri to California at just a few months old, then tossed out with other horses to once again fend for himself.

Not only was this bad for his health because he lacked his mothers milk and wasn't old enough to fight for his food with tossed in with other horses, but he never got the nurturing that a mom gives their babies and a baby he was at just one month. That is why what I saw today was as shocking as it was touching.

We recently brought Bella back from training with Dee Howe and learned that she has disabilities that will make it hard for her to carry a rider. Dee and her husband just fell in love with Bella while she was there because she has such a gentle nature. Dee said if she was bred she would probably throw a foal as honest and sweet as her. Well we aren't in the breeding business so as much as I have always wanted to breed Bella, we never have. She was a broodmare before she was rescued by us. That is why what I saw today was as shocking as it was touching.

Update on Bella the Carter Reservior Mustang

We recently did Bella's teeth for the first time. It is amazing that at age 10, her teeth were nearly perfect, but that is not unusual for a mustang that spent time in the wild from my experience.

Her teeth looked like a domestic horses that has had dentistry for many years. There were very few corrections needed on her molars.

What was no doubt causing her pain and affecting her stance and receptiveness to her head being handled was a diagonal on her incisors caused by a chipped tooth on the lower arcade.

As you can see from the photo, the tooth directly to the right of the chipped tooth had started to grow over the chipped area and had erupted taller than the other lower teeth causing the upper teeth to cross at a diagonal instead of laterally when she chewed.

This type of diagonal causes extra pressure on the TMJ causing pain that can radiate through the pole and down the spine. Dee, her trainer, noted a change in her stance the very next day. She was relaxing more and her feet were more squarely underneath her. She also had better range of flexing in her neck.

It will take a short time for the adjustment to the TMJ now that the incisors are working accurately. Then she will be ready to continue her training. We may also call in our chiropractor - Dawn Fletcher of Medicine Hat Animal Chiropractic, to give her any adjustments she may need to help get her skeletal system back in line.

All in all, Bella is doing better and we are glad.