Peaches

Peaches was not a happy horse before coming to Beauty’s Haven. Her former owner would hit her about the head when she did not perform perfectly.

After Peaches settled in at Beauty’s Haven, she became the “go to” pony that was happy to help teach humans how to care for a horse. Unfortunately, she developed allergies which caused scaring that impeded her breathing and she had to have a permanent tracheotomy which must be cleaned daily.

Peaches was also diagnosed with a neurologic disorder called temporohyoid osteoarthropathy (THO) which is a progressive disease of the middle ear, the temporohyoid joint, the stylohyoid bone, and the base of the skull. Inflammation induces bony proliferation at the articulation of the stylohyoid bone with the petrous portion of the temporal bone which results in the fusion of the temporohyoid joint. The hyoid apparatus is connected to the tongue and larynx. Fusion of the temporohyoid joint reduces the mobility of these structures. A stress fracture of the petrous temporal bone and/or stylohyoid bone can result from the impaired mobility. This can be caused by eating, vocalization, or normal tongue movement. As it progresses, this disease can cause acute neurologic signs such as loss of balance, head tilt, nystagmus (involuntary oscillation of the eyes), and facial nerve damage.

Peaches is a very sweet special needs mare that loves attention and makes a great pasture pal.