Signs of Trouble
Two hours later when the foal hadn’t yet stood or nursed, I started to worry. The filly’s only attempts to stand were hampered by contracted tendons in both rear legs. She couldn’t plant her feet squarely, and couldn’t manage to steady herself upright. Another two hours later, I had spoken to my veterinarian, Dr. Tom Daugherty of Rood & Riddle in Lexington, Ky., and he had sent a fellow practitioner to evaluate the situation. Dr. Woodrow Friend arrived just as the new filly managed to plant all four feet for the first time.

Contracted tendons prevented the filly from standing normally.
Dr. Friend urged Chris and Tabitha and me–the co-owners of the mare and foal–to release Blue and her filly in a small grass paddock outside the barn as soon as the foal had nursed. The exercise and motion would help to correct the fetlock contraction. But before that next step, the filly would need to get her first meal
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