Leave nails where they are

It is a natural instinct to yank a nail out of your horse’s hoof when you see it (“Letting It Be,” Case Report, EQUUS 472), but I learned the hard way to “let it be,” grab some duct tape and a block of wood, tape it to your horse’s foot and call your veterinarian immediately!

Sixteen years ago, my horse Pistol came in from the pasture limping. When my husband picked his foot up, he saw a nail sticking out, so of course he grabbed it and pulled it out. I cleaned and soaked the foot three times a day for the next couple of days, but Pistol stayed lame so I finally called my veterinarian.

She told me she couldn’t do anything and to take him to the nearest university clinic, so off we went. Because we were able to give the veterinary team there a pretty good idea of where the nail had entered the hoof, they were able to operate and clean the coffin bone without too much digging around. Of course, there were no guarantees Pistol would ever be sound again, but he recovered, and we have logged many, many trail miles since. He will be 20 years old in a couple of months, and we are still hitting the trails together.

Virginia Lux Sheridan, Oregon