Third Time is a Charm!

AAE took in this handsome TB gelding in November 2013 after relinquishment by his owner resulting from a neglect situation.  He was thrilled to hop onto the trailer when we picked him up.  Smokey was a 20-ish Thoroughbred gelding.  He seemed to be an absolute gentlemen, and we were told he was an ol’ trail string horse.  He was thin and suffering from a respiratory issue.  Smokey was visited by Dr. Stolba soon after arrival, and he was diagnosed with a respiratory infection/mild pneumonia.

He was started on course antibiotics while in quarantine.

Fortunately, he rebounded and quickly became a volunteer favorite.  Smokey was truly a kind ol’ soul, but he had a few quirks that needed exploring and work. Some days he’d meet you at the gate, other days, he’d rather be alone, and he would play hard to get….and he was hard to get.  In time, and with lots of love and kindness from AAE’s volunteers, Smokey softened tremendously.

He had a some additional vet needs taken care of once he was in better health, including much needed dental and hoof care, as well as vaccines and deworming.  Later, he had a sarcoid removed from his inquinal area.  He also had a swelling adjacent to his wither evaluated.  Turns out, radiographs showed an old fracture of one of his vertebrae.  We didn’t discover this until after trying to saddle him.  Although he accepted a saddle and bridle without issue, any pressure on the horn or gullet when mounting, he would bolt forward.  It didn’t take long to realize there was a problem.  It sure made sense after seeing the radiographs.  A piece of a vertebra had fractured off and lodged between his spinal column and shoulder blade.  Poor ol’ guy!!  No more riding for this guy!

Sadly, Smokey had two failed adoptions over the past few years, one due to his anxiety after being moved, another due to a financial distress situation.

Thankfully, this earlier this year, Smokey moved on to a family with 10-acres of beautiful green pastures, and he became buddies with an older gelding.   Here he is going to meet his new buddy for the first time on his way to happily ever after!