Article on The Player

[Cammie]

Nice to see he made it back. Hopefully his leg holds up and he can sire some nice runners. Very curious about keeping the hoof on the injured leg so tiny. Is that intentional, or does it not grow out correctly now after the injury and repair work? Only one shoe on the other front and no shoes behind. It looks terrible, but it sounds like he only has a slight hitch in his mechanics and is getting around fine.

https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-rac…-of-the-player

And of course, the online version doesn’t show the photos of his leg. Only the downloaded article.

[Texarkana]

A lot of people are scared off by horses who sustain a catastrophic injury. But there’s something to be said about one who can overcome one. It requires a degree of mental toughness that just isn’t present in all horses.

Re: the hoof. There’s no doubt that the hoof is contracted and distorted as a result of the injury. I’m sure the blood flow, pressure, and load bearing mechanics have changed considerably after the complete breakdown and subsequent repair of the fetlock apparatus. I don’t know specifically why the kept him barefoot on the injured leg; possibly because they are encouraging the hoof to spread, possibly because he can’t handle the position and pressure of shoeing that leg at the moment. Probably a little of both as well as other considerations particular to his case.

What a character of a horse!

[LaurieB]

He sounds like a very cool horse. I love the pictures of him sitting up. :lol:

[Where_sMyWhite]

@Texarkana

I don’t know specifically why the kept him barefoot on the injured leg; possibly because they are encouraging the hoof to spread, possibly because he can’t handle the position and pressure of shoeing that leg at the moment.

My guess would be former rather than latter as the article mentioned they’d shoe that one foot while Player was laying down resting. He sounds like quite the character which is probably at least part of the reason he’s still with us today.

[Maythehorsebewithme]

Hope he manages to handle the breeding shed OK. Hope he sires a bunch of winners, but no matter what it sure seems like his people will take care of him for the rest of his life. May it be long and happy.

[nelson]

Such a great story about a remarkable horse! Thank you for sharing it. His Facebook page is terrific - a very good follow.

[NancyM]

A great story. Good luck to The Player. Having rehabilitated an otherwise terminal injury in my barn years ago, I know how hard it is on the humans who care for the horse. And how much the horse itself participates in their successful recovery. It was the hardest and most stressful thing I have ever been involved with. Watching the courage, intelligence and mental toughness of the horse is what kept me going daily. My vet of choice said, “You never know, she may surprise us and live”.

[Where_sMyWhite]

nelson, I agree. I also follow The Player’s FB page. You could tell how loved he was by his trainer and connections on the “home” side and also how much people cared for him at the hospital while he was recovering. Also the ups and downs during recovery with the infection and screws backing out.

Fortunately for the shed, his injury was front leg but it will still be a strain. I think they’re looking at breeding because he was such an amazing horse with his personality, tenacity during recovery as well as respectable on track performance.

[Palm_Beach]

Great story, thanks! Crossing my fingers for him.