A miniature horse named Midnite lived a rough life of abuse and neglect until law enforcement officers turned him over to the Humane Society of North Texas.
He was malnourished, depressed, and missing his left-rear hoof. The deformity prevented him from running, caused him to stand in an awkward position that threatened his right hip, and created difficulties for him when he tried to lay down and stand up again.
Humane Society personnel enlisted the services of Ranch Hand Rescue, a farm animal sanctuary and rehabilitation center in Argyle, Texas. They began the rehab process and started putting some weight on Midnite, but had to take care because too much too fast could have resulted in a broken hip or leg, and that is not good news for a horse.
The Humane Society, meanwhile, arranged for a boot — donated by Soft-Ride — that helped the hands at Ranch Hand Rescue to teach Midnite how to reposition his weight and build muscle in his bad leg.
The boot, lacking a custom fit, had to be taped in place in the mornings and removed at night. Close, but not quite.
Prostheticare Fort Worth LP stepped up to the challenge and built a custom-fitted prosthetic for Midnite.
A couple of months and several fittings later, and Midnite, as Ranch Hand Rescue member Bob Williams wrote in an e-mail message, “can not only walk on all four hooves, he can run. That’s right he can run, and he has even jumped.
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“In light of all of the bad things happening in the world today, we believe that Midnite will serve as an inspiration to all of us who face challenges in our daily lives. We believe Midnite can help inspire and heal both children and adults who themselves have hardships.”
Awesome.
Bruce Felps owns and operates East Dallas Times, an online community news outlet serving the White Rock Lake area. He never got the pony his mom promised him.
