By Dan Roark
Well, ok, not Dr. Scholl really, but you’ll see what I mean in part two. To start at the beginning, Flash was walking a little funny. And he was acting like something was wrong. Kim, barn manager, thought he might have an abscess in one, or both, of his front hooves. She treated him accordingly, but nothing seemed to be effective. It finally became serious enough that x-rays were a necessity. The fear was that it could be the navicular bone which indicates navicular syndrome which in turn, while common in middle aged horses, is a degenerative condition. Although many horses respond positively to treatment, they may fail to improve with time.
Flash went to the vet hospital for x-rays on one of the nights that Cyndy volunteers at New Hope. When she arrived home and told me he was heading to the vet, we discussed the reality that we may not get to ride Flash again. We may not be alone, but Flash is our favorite horse. We support Flash in various ways as often as we can – we have some of his favorite treats in each of our vehicles. (Which is another reason for you to get your tickets to the Hope Gala – to support the type of horse care Flash and the other horses need). 
So we were elated the next day when we heard from Sharla via text. “Good news!!! Flash’s x-rays did NOT show navicular!!! He has weirdly shaped feet which we know, genetic. But his outer hoof wall and inner hoof wall separated, and the inner wall bunched up (like socks do when they roll up inside shoes) and the hoof floor is very thin and painful as a result. Front shoes will fix it.”
Stay tuned for part two, when Flash gets new front shoes.
Ride on and ride for hope.