Cajun’s Recovery

Cajun the wildly spotted appaloosa featured in the chapter titled, Come Together, of my most recent book, Hope from the Heart of Horses tore his digital tendon in his rear right leg in July. His owner cared for him after the surgery but unfortunately he injury became infected. He came to my ranch September 4th. We became the “last chance ranch.” If he could not heal here he would be put down.

Reticent to put any weight on his injured leg he stood on three legs. It had been two months of this posture. He was tired, had lost weight, and was showing signs of atrophy in both his leg and his neck. For two months the human conversation around him was filled with thoughts such as: shall we put him down, he is not getting any better, he doesn’t want to live, I don’t know what to do, what will become of him.

A week before I had purchased a CHI machine for horses after seeing great success with another horse at the ranch that had bronchitis. We (Jessie Baker a woman who is helping me at the ranch and went to vet school) had our work cut out for us. We immediately put him on a three times a day therapy schedule. He received CHI treatments, massage and stretching, Bach Flower remedies, and was supplemented with herbs and additional food to get his health back. Soon he began to love his treatment times and we would often find him waiting at the gate for us. We saw a little improvement with his condition the first three days.

Jessie and I were very clear that Cajun would only receive hope and positive thoughts of love and healing from us, regardless of what we saw. Jessie, a past US ski team member understands the power of the mind to influence the body.

We both sensed that he had been holding his leg for so long that he had lost his ability to believe he could put weight on it without pain. After each treatment we added a 10-minute walk to force him to move his foot. In the next three days he radically improved. However, I was still not convinced he was all that happy.

Cajun is a big, beautiful horse who takes great pride in his physical strength. In addition to that he has served humans for much of his 25 years. Emotionally we could see that he was not sure what he had to live for.

A Level Three program was scheduled at the ranch and we decided that even with a limp he would be a teaching horse. Cajun entered the round pen sessions and demonstrated his ability as a master teacher. His emotional health improved 100% after the program. He saw and experienced how he could continue to serve and that his presence was wanted and needed on the ranch.

One of the participants in the program suggested a bran wrap, an old-timers remedy, to decrease the swelling and fluid that had been on his joint for two months. This wrap decreased the inflammation dramatically. All other treatments continued with some herbs being changed as needed.

Cajun has been here for 2.5 weeks. Today I watched him canter with the other horses out to the big pasture. His canter was not beautiful and graceful, but it was there. Now his spirit is stronger and more alive. He still has a long way to go. I suspect about six months of pasture would be the best thing for him. I hope his owner will see his need for this.

Ironically enough, the same vet who suggested I put down Corazon when he colicked suggested Cajun be put down. The vet’s surgery and drugs took both Corazon and Cajun only so far. In both cases it was the human touch and caring that got the horses through.

When I stand next to Cajun he looks me directly in the eye and puts his muzzle against me. I know in my heart he gets what we have done for him and he is grateful to have received the love and attention here at the ranch, especially after all of his years of helping others.

It is easier to give up on a horse than to care for it. We gave Cajun all we had in the way that we could. It was the right thing for all of us to do. He has been honored and loved here and he knows it. Horses (and all animals) present us many opportunities to open our hearts. Helping them in their healing process is as much a gift for us as it is for them.