November 3, 2008: Pegleg Horse

[xoxoxoBruce]

"They shoot horses, don't they?"
Not always. Meet Riley, the pegleg horse.

A crippled horse has been given a false leg in a pioneering operation to stop her being put down after suffering an awful injury.
These amazing pictures show how technology has given the lame horse a new lease of life rather than face the prospect of being put down.
Now this mare Riley will spend the rest of her days in an animal sanctuary.
~snip~
To endure recovery and get accustomed to an artificial leg, a horse must have a calm temperament because post-op rehabilitation involves spending a good deal of time hoisted in a sling. If the horse is prone to anxiety, the stress incurred while in the sling could lead to colic.
The horse also needs to have a strong opposing leg - in Riley’s case, a strong right rear leg - because she would be bearing much of her weight on that leg until she adjusted to the prosthesis.
~snip~
Not long after the procedure, she was trotting, running and even playing, as well as easily bearing the weight of Dr Vlahos’s daughter, whose birthday wish was for Riley to be well enough to ride. Then last month Riley returned home to Best Friends.
Though stiff from the long ride, she now wanders her pasture grazing, trotting and flirting. Jen Reid said: ‘She’s eating great. She takes lots of naps. She likes to flirt over the fence with her male neighbor. ‘She’s doing everything a normal horse would.’

And Riley lived happily ever after... although there's a chef in France that's very disappointed.

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