Right front from inside
http://imgur.com/My2yQFf
Front view (sorry wasn’t on knee, and I know you’re supposed to be, wasn’t thinking!)
http://imgur.com/1Qly1JW
Front view again
http://imgur.com/kZB2zWW
And another
http://imgur.com/LnMTrv9
Okay, it’s crooked from the knee. Morgen can fix/correct that!
I think I got it Randee, did I?
Also thank you very much!
Oh gosh that’s reassuring to hear.
Here’s a link to the hinds at foaling and at about 7 days
http://imgur.com/nqSO65N
(And yes I slept in the barn with her all night the night before and of course she has it the next morning during turn out. I was there though.)
She will be posting shortly. Keep the faith!
Kyzteke she looks fantastic by the way!
Yep, that’s a decent leg deviation. But you’ll be amazed what good corrective farrier care will do for this. A splint and/or hoof extensions will do wonders.
Please keep taking photos as the foal grows, and keep us updated. Cases like this are of great interest to many here, including myself 
I’m not sure if it makes any difference, but tetracycline causes yellow/orange teeth in human and canine youngsters. I’m assuming it could be true for many other species, including equines.
I have been advised to have the outside of the hoof rasped and build up the inside of the hoof and keep the toe squared (under the knee). Repeat every two weeks. I just ordered two tubes of rejuvenate today as well. I’m snap happy so taking photos is no problem.
Randee, I tried to pm jackyblue and her email is full. If she gets in touch with you would you mind letting her know my personal email is lapinwood@gmail.com
Thank you.
I have chatted with her and she promised to reply.
Hi LP. I just cleaned out my inbox, so PMing should be successful if you’d like to try again.
First and most important, your baby is adorable! I think that leg should come around, although it may need some help, so I wouldn’t breed back just because of that. Besides, if you do that, what happens to this baby? What if the next one has some other imperfection? If you really only want one pony for your own children, I suggest you see what you’ve got before making more.
You asked, “Is a crooked leg generally hereditary and it would probably happen again or was that probably more of a result of being in utero for 396 days?”
Well, sometimes angular limb deformities are inherited, but more often they’re not. Limb deformities can be a result of maternal nutrition, mare/stallion size discrepancies (if the mare is BIG and the stallion is TINY, there’s just too much room and the baby doesn’t develop in an appropriately folded position), body condition of the mare (FAT mares don’t allow baby enough room to move), mare’s activity level (if Mama doesn’t move around enough, she doesn’t stimulate Baby to move enough), etc.
I know of a couple of very well known TB stallions whose babies are almost guaranteed to have angular deformities like your baby’s, but I would say that in my experience, the activity level of the mare and her nutritional plane play equally important roles in limb alignment and are the most common causes of deviations.
From what you’ve said, I would guess that uterine positioning and either lack of movement on the mare’s part (is she sound? obese?) or tight/too much space internally are to blame for your baby’s limb deformities (how big is mare and how small is pony?).
As others have said, tetracycline is contraindicated for this foal. Oxytetracycline disrupts normal collagen organization (binds calcium) and is known to make the ligaments and tendons of foals more susceptible to elongation under weight bearing. Your baby doesn’t need that. That would just create a big mess.
Rejuvenaid is always a great go-to for cases like this. It certainly can’t hurt.
Be right back to discuss your baby’s specific deformities and how to address…
WOW. Great info.
First and very important to me, this foal is out of my once in a life time horse. This foal will forever be with me regardless of his legs, eyes, head…whatever!!! Just as his momma has been and will be. This sweet sweet foal sleeps in my lap, he is so much a part of this family, so regardless of his legs he will stay.
Good point about what if the next foal is also deformed in this way, or another, my husband brought up the exact same point, and my only response to it was, well yup thats definitely a possibility.
As far as the mare, Im going to say she is FAT! Yikes, thats my fault, she is spoiled rotten and she gets a decent amount of grain and we have large grass fields. She has always been an easier keeper, but even after she foaled she never looked thin, I actually cut her grain just a smidge this past week. As for activity, I generally try to keep my horses and ponies out 24/7 if the weather permits, I dont have run ins so in hot sun, freeing rain cold wind type of weather they come in, right now they are in all day. I do have large fields but this mare doesnt really walk fast if she doesnt have to.
She is 16hh and the stallion was 13.1hh - the stallion is known to throw smaller refined foals and with her being maiden I was expecting a smaller foal but this little guy is SMALL!!!
I did order the rejuvenate today, the paste.
So do you feel like a splint would be an option? I dont know if you read the one post but the farrier plans to rasps some hoof off the outside of the crooked leg and build up the inside of that same foot with a glue on/paint on and then keep the toe under the knee/squared.
again, thank you for all the info.
What I see when I look at your baby’s photos:
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Right carpus shows marked valgus deviation - experience tells me at least 12 degrees, which is enough to cause some complications if not managed carefully. First, with this degree of medial deviation the lateral cuboidal bones (carpal bones) are in danger of crushing. The medial collateral ligament is also under considerable strain and weight bearing only exacerbates the risk of injury to these and other tissues. In my experience, deviations of less than 12 degrees have a good chance of improving on their own. Deviations of 12 degrees and more, because of the severe angle at the carpus, tend to perpetuate without intervention. More on that intervention in a moment.
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The baby also appears to have a valgus deviation of the fetlock. While this definitely is bothersome, it may resolve as the carpus corrects. It’s common to see deformity in both joints. At this time, the carpus is more severe and at risk of injury and the fetlock is merely cosmetic. If the fetlock remains crooked as the knee corrects, it will become “the weakest link” and will graduate from cosmetic to problematic and need to be addressed.
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Both front limbs appear to have a rotational deformity originating from the elbow or even higher. This doesn’t concern me at all for now, but bears watching. This is the only deformity that will be improved by expansion of the chest.
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There is a mild valgus deviation of the left carpus. This certainly takes the back burner to the right leg, but shouldn’t be ignored altogether.
First and foremost, his running and bucking needs to be curtailed. He’s just too crooked to be plowing around with a full head of steam. He WILL hurt himself. He only has a little correcting to do before he’ll be safe turn out with full liberty. In the meantime, caution is warranted. Some corrective farriery should make a big difference. I am a fan of medial extensions for these guys, especially when they have fetlock involvement like your little guy does. I personally HATE cup shoes and much prefer a custom medial wing, whether it be a little shoe adhered to the foot or an extension created from Vettec Superfast or similar product. Be sure that your farrier is experienced in working with baby feet. Some glues (Equilox, for one) reach too high a temperature for baby feet and can cause considerable damage.
I wouldn’t worry too much about his lateral hoof wall. The last thing you want to do is rasp on a little baby foot and create sore spots. You want him to comfortably bear weight across his entire sole.
Rejuvenaide, rest and corrective farriery should make a world of difference for this baby, but splinting would be a sure thing. The only caveat there is that the dynamic splints I’m familiar with aren’t really available anymore. What veterinary splints Dynasplint has remaining are being sold only (no more monthly rentals) for $1,000 a piece. This is a bum deal because of the amount of wear and tear on the splint under normal use. Whereas Dynasplint can affordably and easily refurbish each splint after use, they charge a small fortune to perform this service for customers who have purchased their splints. They also charge extra for the padding materials, of which you’ll need plenty. If the splint breaks (and they do - better the splint than the leg it’s attached to), it’s the owner’s responsibility to pay for repair. The costs can and will quickly add up to WELL over that initial $1000.
If your baby doesn’t respond to the more conservative modalities I’ll do everything I can to locate a corrective splint. Unfortunately the splint that addresses angular limb deformities is very unique and I haven’t seen anything remotely like it on the market. I do know of some horse owners who’ve purchased the splint, so maybe I can convince someone to share. But, naturally, you’d be responsible for any necessary repairs and refurbishment after use and whatever rental/lease the owner might deem reasonable.
Another thing you can do, and it’s similar to what the splint would do, is manual stretching. When the baby is laying down, take his leg in both hands, one above the knee and one below, and, with his leg fairly straight, manually stretch his lateral tissues by maneuvering his lower limb toward his left front leg. GENTLY stretch the lower limb toward the opposite leg, while holding the upper limb in place as far as he’ll tolerate and then hold the stretch for increasingly long time periods. He may only tolerate a few seconds at first, but as the tissues respond, he should become more accepting of the stretch. Do this as often as you can.
ETA: Just to clarify the stretching thing, keep in mind that the carpus is made up of a bunch of little cuboidal bones, exactly like our wrist. They are held in alignment by collateral ligaments (and other soft tissues), but by their nature, they are fairly easy to reposition. Greatly simplified, in your baby’s case, the lateral (outside) collateral ligament is shorter than the medial (inside) collateral ligament. A Dynasplint would stretch the lateral collateral ligament, while supporting the medial, allowing the body’s collagen equilibrium to reestablish as the ligaments approach their ideal lengths and relationship.
Everything you’ll be doing for the carpus should have a corrective effect on the fetlock, as well. And, again, the rotational deformity isn’t a big deal.
I just have to add that his face is darling! :yes:
JackieBlue you are such an asset to this BB. Long may we have you to learn from
She’s brilliant and so good with these issues. <3 her!
I can’t thank you enough. Farrier was out today and he followed directions well and will be out every 10 days. I was told to start looking for improvement within 7-10 days. Thank you all. Between your guidance, my farrier and vet and rejuvenate I’m looking forward to some substantial correction. Fingers crossed and prayers said. Tucker says thank you.
https://i.imgur.com/0tfPfHN.jpg
Randee and Kerole, thank you both so much for your kind words. LP, glad things are moving in the right direction. It looks like Tucker was saying, “Hats off to my farrier!” 
[QUOTE=Kerole;7600357]
JackieBlue you are such an asset to this BB. Long may we have you to learn from :)[/QUOTE]
Hear hear!! I don’t have any involvement in breeding anymore but love learning from Jackie’s posts
That’s such good news! He’s a pretty cool looking dude.
BTW, is Tucker tied to his mamma’s neck ?!! This is new to me.
