Raindance Farms, LLC "Simply Fearless" A horse's story

Update on Fear

2009-05-22T08:12:00.000-07:00

Fears remains have been donated to their research project and after 8 hours of necropsy May 21, they are half way done and they found that his spine was degenerating and starting to crumble, so he didnt have long before he would have been completely paralyzed. Dr Reed called Kathi around 4pm today to let her know that she did the right thing and there is no doubt that he would never have recovered or been able to even have the surgery.

With the great sadness and loss of Fear we must remember that with this great sacrifice the medical field can learn and possibly help other horses for the future.

Fear will cross the Rainbow Bridge May 20, 2009

2009-05-19T21:33:00.000-07:00

It is with GREAT sadness that I post this. Fears re-evaluation is inoperable. Kathi will be helping him cross the rainbow bridge tomorrow May 20, 2009 if you so believe please say a prayer for the Tuckers ..
this is Kathi's post today on the WindChill Forum.
The mylagram showed that over the past 6 months, Fear's spine has completely remodeled. The orginal C5-6 compression has resolved it's self, however he is now compressed in C2-3-4 and C6-7. C6-7 is inoperatable.
He will be crossing the rainbow bridge tomorrow when I get back to the hospital to be with him.
Kathi

I have watch Fear on the cams for months now, his struggles, his happy moments with Layla and the love that shines at Raindance farms. HE will forever shine in my heart. GOD bless you fear - RUN free, will no pain or stumbling along the side of Barbaro and WindChill and all the others that have crossed before you.
Deb

Massage and Reiki Healing

2009-02-26T14:19:00.000-08:00

Heres a few photos of Fear last week getting a massage along with Reiki - Reiki translates as universal life energy and is an amazing energy healing method that originated in Japan. Energy Healing

Energetic Healing assists movement by working with life force energies. This natural healing is taught in hospitals and clinics across the country and around the world and compliments a total health plan which may involve traditional and alternative programs. It is a holistic, non-invasive technique that heals on all levels of the body, mind and spirit. Energy healing often enhances other modalities of healing, alleviates pain and has been proven to reduce stress.

2009-01-12T15:46:00.000-08:00

Fear struggles to get up Jan. 4, 2009

2009-01-04T15:52:00.000-08:00

NEW video of Simply Fearless

2008-12-07T16:19:00.000-08:00

His chiro visit was approximately Three weeks ago at which point it really helps fear to be comfortable and stable. You can really see Fear's instability starting to elevate again since time has passed. He does pretty well after the visits but you can see in his walk how un stable he is now..

Stress induced Ringworm

2008-11-21T12:15:00.000-08:00

Chiropractic Visit

2008-11-14T08:38:00.000-08:00

Last night Fear had a visit from the Chiro

Uneven ground makes it harder for Fear to balance. Slick, muddy or ice footing makes it impossible for him to know where his feet are. Just when he thinks he has it figured out, his foot will slip and he will have to re balance. Since he cant re balance in this kind of footing, he ends up doing a lot of sliding and will throw his back out of alignment. Along with his ribs and pelvis, neck and shoulders.
We have an equine chiropractor work on him every 6 weeks and can usually count on 3 good weeks before things start slipping back out of alignment. Tonight Fear had his 3rd adjustment and even though his back was way out of alignment and needed lots of work, he only had one rib out. That means he hasn't fallen down in awhile, this is a good sign, since he usually has 3 ribs out on each side.
The adjustments usually make him a little stiff for the next couple days, but as he has more of them, he is less and less stiff after each session. Tonight he stood like a perfect angel, even tried to check the vets pockets for treats.

Evening routine at Raindance Farms

2008-11-07T08:09:00.000-08:00

This image was captured on the live webcam last night. Fears goodnight kiss is pretty typical of his sweet personality.

More Side Effects of the Disease

2008-11-04T08:48:00.000-08:00

Stress and poor health take their toll on a horse's immune system, making the horse an easy target for viral and fungal bacteria to cause havoc. This sounds logical and has been proven time and time again. Where as there is not supposed to be any pain related to neurological issues and research says that the horse really doesn't know there is a problem, there should be very little stress for the animal. At least in cases where the animal is not continually falling down and/or injuring it's self.
As we take this road less traveled with Fear, we are finding that even though Fear is perfectly healthy in every other way, he is more susceptible to germs. Out of the blue, he came down with a case of ringworm. No idea where it could have come from. He has been in the same pasture and stall for months now and no outside horses have been on the farm. No other horses came down with it prior to or at the same time. After treatment from the vet, it has slowly gone away. The vet chalked it up to stress, and said that even though reports say there is no stress related to neurological disorders, no one can be sure. So we have been keeping a closer eye on him and we have a pretty good idea that his problems are no secret to him. He truly seems to know that things aren't right. When he takes a corner and loses his balance, he looks at us with worried eyes and reaches his nose out for reassurance from us. If he misjudges his stride and bumps into a stall wall, there are those worried eyes again. He knows………there is no denying it.

Calendars for Fear

2008-10-29T16:15:00.000-07:00

The calendars are selling FAST! They are available for a limited time and would make great easy to mail out gifts for your horse friends. So order now to be sure to get one!

2008-10-24T14:06:00.000-07:00

Heres a picture of Fear today in the stall at Raindance