On a Scale of One to Ten, the Horrendous Condition
of Hoover’s Hooves at His Rescue Was a Ten

  • Chestnut TB Gelding
  • Entry Date – 11/29/11
  • Type of rescue – Seizure by Jackson County Sheriff’s Department
  • Reason – Severe neglect and abuse
  • Special needs – Special feeds, special care of his hooves, and Previcox daily
  • Passing — Feb 2013

Hoover and his companion, Thor, were seized by Jackson County Sherriff’s Deputies with a court order in late November of 2011. The chestnut Thoroughbred’s hooves had been so long neglected that they had “slippered,” a deformity caused by unchecked growth, which is rare in full-sized horses. Unable to move because of his feet, which had also foundered, Hoover had been unable to forage for food or water and would have perished without the intervention of concerned neighbors.

With the aid of Equamore volunteers, both horses were transported to the Equamore Sanctuary where Hoover got his name because of the way he was vacuuming in an amazing amount of hay as he lay in the riding arena having his hooves worked on by an Equamore trimmer.
The pony, Dapples, came to Equamore in the same condition and has fully recovered; so Hoover’s rescuers were hopeful that his feet could be rehabilitated. Hoover’s weight improved over the seven months between November and July of 2012, and his feet became comfortable enough for him to venture from his outdoor paddock into the fields to graze with his buddy Thor and Finn, who displayed a special fondness for the limping Thoroughbred.

Alas, unlike Dapples, whose hoof deformity was limited to her capsules, Hoover had been so long neglected that the internal structures of his feet had been severely damaged. When new radiographs were taken in July, they revealed continued deterioration and rotation of the coffin bone. The prognosis was that the condition was irreversible and would eventually result in excruciating pain and total incapacity.

It was time to consider the final, wrenching kindness that is in the power of true stewards of the horse to give. On July 12, 2012, with the help of our veterinarian, we sent him to his final sanctuary.