Maverick, my 8 year old mustang has been giving lessons with me to horse lovers in Las Vegas now for 6 years!

On April 29th this year, I took Maverick to the vet to try to determine the cause of some intermittent “buckling” I’ve been seeing in his legs over the past month. I had tried a bodyworker, a farrier (who put 2 new shoes on his back feet, and a rest/Bute test to see if anything would help but it hadn’t so we needed more official vet tests/problem shooting. At the vet they did lameness exams, nerve blocks in his front left foot, and x-rays, the good news is that his feet looked healthy, with no major concerns like navicular disease.

The harder news came from his neck.

The vets found changes in the C5–C7 area of his cervical spine that may be contributing to weakness in his front leg. His bone was “fuzzy” and there was a “juxtaposition”..which isn’t the best news. While this isn’t a clear-cut diagnosis or a career-ending situation, the reality is that the underlying changes won’t simply go away. More advanced testing, such as a CT scan, MRI, or nuclear imaging, could potentially give us more answers, but would require traveling out of state and comes with significant expense.

As of right now, Maverick is comfortable, happy, and feeling good in day-to-day life living with his Red Rock sisters, Stella and Scout in Pahrump (an hour and 15 minutes away from me), where he’ll enjoy some time this summer just being a horse while I save toward a trip to Arizona for further testing. I am extremely grateful to Michael & Katherine who are sponsoring Maverick’s “summer camp” at their home, where he can frolick and stay his happy-go-lucky self. I wish I could be there every day with him, but they’ll give him the best care I just know it!

Maverick is my best friend, my partner, and family, and I want to make decisions that give him the best quality of life possible.

For now, we’re taking this one day at a time, trusting God through the unknown, and appreciating every good moment. I’ll continue to keep you updated, and I know Maverick would appreciate all the prayers for a peaceful, relaxing summer full of sunshine and horse friends.

When we raise the funds, we will travel to Arizona Equine Medical & Surgical Centre and get a full body bone scan to see more how we can help him, and if he will be able to give lessons again or be a riding horse and continue to be an ambassador for previously wild mustangs living in captivity. Thank for you reading and for your help!