06/01/2026
Well, you guys, I'm sorry. I truly believed we'd be sharing a success story. I'm the kind of person who always leads with hope, and I held onto that hope for this little filly with everything I had. But today, we had to make the incredibly difficult decision to let her go.
We took her to our vet, Jake Lynch (who is amazing, by the way). He suspected we might be dealing with a mustard foal (Congenital Hypothyroidism and Dysmaturity Syndrome (CHDS)). We took X-rays to get answers, and unfortunately, that diagnosis was confirmed. Her joints weren’t developing the way a healthy foal’s should, and while she was bright, warm, strong, and nursing vigorously, her body simply couldn’t support her. Even if she had survived, her long-term quality of life would have been very poor. It’s hard to make that decision for a foal that still has so much fight in her. It’s heartbreaking when your heart wants one outcome, but reality gives you another. This one hurts especially bad. We waited all year for this filly. Her dam, Grace ("YP Speedy Rosewood"), is the full sister to our late stallion, YP DriftnDocHolliday (Fred). It’s hard to watch another piece of that family tree be put in the ground. We laid her to rest in a beautiful spot beside her uncle, overlooking the YP. ❤️
This life isn’t easy, and today it feels especially heavy. But I’m grateful for every moment we got with her, no matter how short. The Lord only gave her to us for a little while, but she was loved every second she was here, and I wouldn’t trade that time for anything. I have lots of videos and little moments I captured during our time with her. I originally planned on sharing them all with you, but now that she’s gone, I’m not sure I have the heart to. For now, those memories might just be for me. ❤️ One thing I’ve learned through all of this is that none of us ever stop learning.
If you’ve dealt with a foal like this before, please share your experience below if you feel comfortable. Whether your story had a happy ending or a heartbreaking one, it may help someone else who finds themselves in the same position someday!
*I will be sharing a few symptoms she had that pointed to this diagnosis and what was recommended to add and do in our program to help lower our odds of this happening in the future over the next few days.*
