Hunter Hollow

Barbara and I went to take a look at a mare that was located down the road from her house.  The owner had told Barbara that she was for sale and if no one bought her that she was going to sell her the Meat Man for $500.  Barbara hadn't been up close to the mare but she knew from a distance that the horse was not doing well.  This is Oreo, the day we went to look at her.  This is also what her legs looked like that day:

The poor mare certainly didn't look like the famous Budweiser Horses.  As you can see from her pictures, she wasn't kept very well.  Being a draft horse she should have been about 150 pounds heavier.  And her feet?  That's a condition known as Chronic Progressive Lymphedema (CPL).    It is a disease that affects draft horses, particularly Belgians, Shires, and Clydesdales.  The disease causes thickening and folding of the skin on the lower limbs and lymphatic system degeneration.  The resulting symptoms are painful lower leg swelling, large nodule formation that interferes with normal pastern movement, and permanent skin ulceration.  Severely affected horses must be euthanized.  Since severe symptoms do not present until later in life, affected horses are often bred prior to being diagnosed and consequently can produce affected offspring.  Diagnosis of CPL can be complicated, especially in its early stages, by its similarity to pastern dermatitis, also referred to as "scratches" or "greasy heel".  The heavy feathering on the lower legs of the horse can further complicate diagnosis. 

 As you can see from the pictures, Oreo has the node formation and swellilng associated with CPL.  The owner claimed that she had "scratches" and the vet had given her cream to treat it.

I BUY HER ..... but I know that I am not equipped to care for this mare.  Prior to purchasing her from the owner, I discuss the situation with Barbara and our friend Beth of New England Equine Rescue.  Beth knows exactly what it is and suggests that since we're concerned about either of our abilities to have the time to treat Oreo, that I can bring the horse to her place in Rhode Island.  This is what we decide to do.  

Beth trims (picture) and cleans the horse up.  She also removes the burrs that have been painfully embedded in her mane and tail.  However, after a few weeks of trying to get control of the CPL, and via discussions with the vet and the experts at UC Davis in California the prognosis for Oreo is not good. 

However, other horse rescues have found out about Oreo's plight and through the rescue grapevine transportation for her is arranged so that she can go to the United States Equine Rescue League located in Indiana.  They were able to take her and see that she has a home forever and treatment for her CPL.   As you can see from the picture of Oreo in the field in Indiana, she is in good hands.  Her CPL is under control and she has gained weight, because of all the people involved in her plight, she has been renamed, Alliance.  Below she is pictured in a parade this past Christmas with her new friends and a wreath around her neck .... now that's a Clydesdale!!!!!

Additional information on CPL can be found at the following links:

UC Davis:  http://faculty.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/faculty/dlbannasch/lab/projects/CPL%20updated%202007.pdf  

Harlequin Farms Gypsy Vanners: http://http://www.harlequinfarmsgypsyhorses.com/ChronicProgressiveLymphedema.html

Plant and Animal Genomes XV Conference:                        http://www.intl-pag.org/15/abstracts/PAG15_P05o_607.html

For helpful information Horseadvice.com has the following discusison: http://www.horseadvice.com/horse/messages/4/310898.html   

The following site suggests some sulfur-based recipes for treating CPL and scratches. http://www.completerider.com/pasterndermatitis.htm.

The following site has additional information on treatment:

http://www.ehow.com/how_2352942_treat-clydesdale-shire-scratches-legs.html?ref=fuel&utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=ssp&utm_campaign=yssp_art

Additional information on Clydesdale Horses can be found at the following links:

http://www.horsequest.com/bredshow/clydesdale/clyd.htm

http://www.webring.com/hub?ring=clydesdalehorsew

Don't forget the great Budweiser hitch:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qb0Z5Fy2NAg&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MpmR3U7VGc&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXSugx81Nhw&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4XkrO5Ha18&NR=1

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