WHEN a horse is found in a field with what appears to be a traumatic injury there is sadly often one answer, but sometimes luck can play its part. Restricted licence holder Cathy Hamilton, based in Tipperary, was heartbroken to find her home-bred mare Callherthemidwife standing in the field, apparently unable to move in October 2018.

“I literally stood and cried. She had not been the easiest mare, but I had her two weeks off a run, I had even found a race for her at Thurles. It was 6am on a Saturday, the horses were all still out at night rugged up, so I knew I would not be able to get hold of Gavin (Shorten), the huntsman at the Tipperary kennels, so I phoned vet Tom Burns and he came straight away,” recounts Cathy.

On closer inspection, no fracture could be found and puzzingly, there was also no apparent pain in any part of the mare’s foreleg. It was decided to give her 24 hours. That got extended when some investigations turned up radial nerve paralysis.

Second chance

Cathy continues: “I had worked as a vet nurse for some years and never came across it but Tom said the symptoms matched exactly. We decided to keep her out to encourage her to move around, the other horses were quite happy to continue to be worked off the field and to keep her company. Carrignagapple even went and won at Cork on November 18th.”

In the spring of 2019, the mare was sound enough to put in foal but rather than travelling her, AI seemed the best option.

Irish Draught Champion Gortfree Lakeside Lad was chosen as he stands close by in Gowran.

“Tom scanned all three of my mares one day and all three were in foal. She produced a lovely colt foal on Friday, April 17th, and all is well,” said a delighted Cathy.