Stitch the Paint Pony
Stitch the Paint Pony
Stitch the Paint Pony has an amusing personality, some amusing markings and the best little trot this side of the Saco!! Stitch is an amazing little guy with an amazing background. His story will compel you to question how horses are chosen and sent to “kill buyers” in Maine.
Stitch’s Hidden Injury
Stitch came to us in seemingly great shape. A photo of him pulling a skid showed a perky, hardworking well-trained pony. But what it didn’t show was the profound lameness in his left front leg. When he arrived he limped noticeably and bobbed his head as he walked around the pen. The unsoundness is going away on its own. Thankfully it was a temporary issue since he is so young, (only six years old) it would be a shame if it were permanent. But it is the likely reason he was sent to a kill buyer.
We noticed that even though his hooves were in great shape with no cracks, no fever lines and solid in toe and heel he looked as if one hoof had never been trimmed! We had picked all four hooves up for cleaning and found no reason why someone would skip trimming one hoof. So we called the farrier and he came out to see what he could do.
Laminitis is a disease of the hoof that is common in ponies and though there were no outward signs of white line disease or weakening I wanted the farrier’s opinion. There were no signs of laminitis, no signs of navicular pain and nothing that looked bruised or pain that might indicate an abcess. So we decided it was higher up in the leg. From the picture we saw before saving him and the type of harness he was in it would be an easy guess to say that he may have been asked to pull more weight than he could manage or for a longer period of time than he should have. But he simply could have slipped or been kicked in the pasture. There isn’t any way to tell. So after some time off, a little cold water therapy and some massage and light work, Stitch the Paint Pony is coming around nicely!
Stitch has proved to be worth his weight in gold. He is friendly with his herd mates, very respectful of the fence, hops on the trailer like an old pro and rides and drives to boot. He leads extremely well and enjoys baths and grooming. Its a shame that due to a temporary lameness such a nice, obviously well-handled and well-trained pony would be sent for slaughter. There are many out there like him.
He also has some unusual marking! Four high white socks, a little splash across his butt cheeks (I wanted to call him the Saggy Bottom Boy) and cute star-stripe-snip and two tufts of fluffy mane pop out in the middle of all of his blackness. For sure a marking to be remarked about during a picnic or party while enjoying life on the farm!
He will be a true asset to our farm! He has passed all of our pony ride tests and he’s ready to bring happiness and joy to kids of all ages. We can’t wait to find a pony cart for him and take kids on pony cart rides for birthday parties and such. Stitch has found his niche here at Carousel Horse Farm.
