Casper joined our herd in October 2023, and he is a stellar example of a great therapy horse. He’s sensitive & sweet, loves attention from kids & adults, and appreciates groundwork & being groomed just as much as being ridden. He was even voted Horse of the Year in 2024, after being a therapy horse for only 1 year!

Since coming to the Ranch, he’s had some occasional stiffness & limping that, at first, we attributed to him playing a little too hard with his friends out across the creek at night. However, about a year ago, his lameness became more acute to the point that he could hardly put weight on his right hind leg. Our vet came out to X-ray & ultrasound him and found a bone chip (clinically speaking: a lateral sesamoid fracture) in his fetlock ("ankle" area) joint, right where the tendon attaches to the bone. He even took a trip to A&M for an MRI to rule out everything else. At the time, the whole team of vets didn’t think it was a surgical case and we started trying everything they could think of to make him comfortable. Since then, he's had 2 rounds of different joint injections, but the lameness continues to be off & on. The longest he has gone without limping was about three months.

Our vet team now agrees that surgery is his best option. At 15 years old, he’s one of our youngest therapy horses, and we want to give him the best shot at a comfortable life since we expect to have him for at least decade, but likely more! The estimate for his surgery & travel expenses are around $5,000, depending on how long he has to stay at A&M to recover.

We couldn’t buy a more perfect therapy horse for that money, even if we wanted to. Casper tackles new obstacles & challenges with curiosity & kindness. He makes instant connections with every horse he’s introduced to, and his students are such devoted fans that some are refusing to ride any other horse until he’s better. ❤️

Our ask to you is to help us get Casper the surgery he needs to live pain-free. Whether he’s able to rejoin the mounted program or has to “retire” to our ground-only counseling herd, Casper is a well-loved member of our herd who loves his job, loves his people, and deserves the most comfortable life we can give him. It would only take 10 folks chipping in $400 to get Casper on the surgery schedule. I know you're thinking, in this economy?! There is no discrimination in giving! Even $5, $10, or $20 fuels the truck to A&M two hours away, and each share gets Casper one step closer to our goal.

We humbly ask for your support to give a "leg up" to our 2024 Horse of the Year. All donations are tax deductible & greatly appreciated.

xray showing casper's bone chip

A Leg Up for Casper: Help Fund His Surgery

By HEALING WITH HORSES RANCH

A Leg Up for Casper: Help Fund His Surgery

He’s got the heart. He just needs a little help with the hind leg. Surgery isn’t cheap, but Casper’s worth every penny! Help our 2024 Horse of the Year get the care he needs to live pain-free.