10/01/2012
“She doesn’t deserve this!” Stephanie thought angrily as she slammed the car door. “And neither do I” she choked glancing at the shaking teen in the seat next to her. They had just left the vet again, and were given a shocking diagnosis on Lauren’s young Quarter Horse gelding Glowing Ovations, AKA Louie. The past six months had been terrible and now this. A crumbling knee and a fatal diagnosis. Like her daughter, single mother Stephanie DeLuca was devastated. To compose herself, Stephanie thought of where they had been to get to this miserable place.
Lauren began showing when she was 10. Achieving some success, her mother and trainer agreed that the investment in a better horse was worthwhile. Her trainer at the time Hope Simms knew she needed something fairly bombproof, but with some talent too. And against her better judgement, she came up with the quietest gelding for his age she had ever seen. With a beautiful eye and a pretty movement, he seemed a wonderful fit for Lauren. While his conformation wasn’t perfect it was overlooked with a terrific price. But as quiet, calm and sweet as he was there was a problem. He was only a two year old. A remarkably pretty moving two year old, but still very young. And that almost was a deal killer for Stephanie. But common sense took a backseat, Lauren had spent three days with him and was already in love and Louie came home with Lauren. “Thank God he stayed quiet calm and sweet” thought Stephanie. Since he knew nothing at all, Lauren worked diligently with her trainer to get him in shape and to teach him the basics. They spent every bit of extra money they had on lessons and training.
He began to get sick. Thank God, no colic. But regular diarreah and general listlessness. The vet originally thought lower intestine ulcers. With a diet change to expensive high protein Senior feeds and no hay, he bounced back, and excelled in the arena again. And for 18 months, he felt better and showed better. Then he began to win, and win big . Late that summer 2007 Louie began to show a slight lameness. Nothing earth shattering just off a bit. So a vet was called out. When that young vet brought out his new X-ray equipment and diagnosed a “crumbling knee” Hope asked that they get a second opinion. This made no sense at all. Why the horse had just placed at TOM POWERS. And this vet said he’d never seen anything like this. Louie would have to be pulled from showing and could probably be put down soon as his knee could just snap at any time. Lauren completely fell apart. Asking why him, why her and what would we do. Another seasoned older vet was brought in and diagnosed lower ankle problems. That right knee might have had a slight malformation, he thought, but nothing as dire as that earlier diagnosis.
They claimed 4th in Horsemanship and 10th in Western Pleasure at AQHA Congress 2007 the same year they got that horrible diagnosis. Top 10 Horsemanship Quarter Horse Congress 2008. But no one really knew what the problem was. You see, Louie was a “pleaser”. As an accomplished pleasure horse he was terrific. As an English mount and in showmanship classes there was nothing there. And that didn’t make sense. After all they had been thru Hope Simms brought about more bad news… she was taking a job somewhere else and would be leaving after the Congress. She did however resolve to find them the best care and training possible.
Louie moved into the stable of South Bend equine professional Laura Stoner. Laura acted as an advisor, a counselor and a friend to Lauren and her mom. Her responsibility was not as trainer, her charge was the care and health of Louie. An American equerry of sorts. While veterinarians circled, Laura would listen, judge and do everything she could to improve the health and care of Louie. The family was still battling with on and off lameness and the diahrea would come and go depending on his stress level and training. It was all a little bit much for Stephanie at the time but Laura was resolute. Stephanie put it all in Laura’s lap. New trainer Jenell Pogue obviously was doing her job well, Louie was doing showmanship as well as English equitation. Under Jenell’s wing Lauren and Louie started winning all-round awards, something they really had never thought possible with all they had been thru. And at the end of 2009 Louie was top 10 Western Pleasure and Top 10 English Equitation. But Louie was still showing signs that he needed help.
At Laura’s request, into the picture comes Indiana farrier Tommy Tucker. Warm, genuine and a Dad to his own family of Quarter Horse competitors, Tommy promised nothing more than his best efforts and creative use of his craft. So he began to whittle on Louie’s feet. He’d take a little off here, adjust an angle there, and stop in two weeks later to make another adjustment. You see, like Laura, Tommy believed in perseverance too.
Tommy and Laura would huddle at Tom’s truck gate. “Now what do we do?” they’d ask. Slowly a plan developed. He came again to see what was happening to those feet. And he looked at Laura seeing the digestive issues that wouldn’t go away, stepped back, viewed the whole picture and knew that this shouldn’t be.
You see, this really is a story of love and perseverance. The love of a mother for her daughter and the love of that child for her horse. And the perseverance of two equine professionals who saw what shouldn’t be and fixed a problem. With common sense, attention and experience.
Tommy kept working on Louie’s feet. Laura Stoner then heard of Total Equine Horse Feed and its’ holistic claims. Contacting the distributor, Laura learned that the steam extruded feed featured unique elements that might be of help to Louie. Features like TASCO, a seaweed product heavy in nutrients, and an alfalfa base that couldn’t hurt this horse deprived of hay for so long.
Then Tommy Tucker called one night with good news (of a sort!) While peeling away and gently probing that left front foot, he had found white line disease. None of the vets involved had suspected it, none of the other farriers discovered it. And with a month’s worth of Total Equine in him, Louis began to look good, feel good and act wonderfully.
2012 brought Performance Halter, Showmanship, Horsemanship and Trail awards. Qualification in AQHYA World Show in Oklahoma City. And crazy offers for Louie. Regularly 10 to 15 times what they originally paid. Louie was recognized as a bona fide “starmaker”. He take those youth competitors as far as they could go. And look wonderful doing so.
Laura Stoner was right, this horse needed better nutrition, this horse needed Total Equine. And Tommy Tucker was right, Louie needed gentler and more regular foot care. And Lauren Pruni was right, this horse was worth the extra care and concern. And Jenell Pouge was right this was an all around horse. You see, after placing 7th in this years’ World Show, he now is renamed “King Louie”. And he’s not going anywhere away from his people. Ever!
