Moonlight’s Tough Start to Life
Molly Piper bought the four-year-old Moonlight in 2022. She knew he had very little training. However, she’d soon find out he also had several behavioral problems.
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Molly was unfazed and was ready for a challenge. She said: “I was warned he was a difficult horse, but I was willing to put the work in.”
Horrible Comments Made Online
The young girl from Northern Ireland posted numerous videos to Instagram showing the occasions when Moonlight acted out. Online viewers soon began leaving a sway of hurtful and abusive comments about the horse.
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They included, “If that were my horse, I’d have sold him for meat. There are too many good horses out there to waste time on ones like him. Poor horse incapable human. Dangerous. Useless. You’re risking your life and wasting your time for what.”
Getting to the Bottom of the Problem
Yet, Molly wasn’t concerned with the online comments. Instead, she wanted to get to the root of Moonlight’s problems.
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The young woman admits it wasn’t all bad. She said, “There were good moments and rides but also awful moments, including a fall where he reared and flipped over backward.”
A Trip to the Vet
Molly believed that something might be wrong with the horse, and this was causing his moody outbreaks. So she decided to take Moonlight to the veterinarian, hoping a professional could help her better understand the horse.
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She said, “I pushed for X-rays of his back, and we ended up injecting him with steroids, but unfortunately, his problems weren’t explained to me fully, and I was told to continue riding away.”
The Problems Flared Up Again
The injections helped for a little while and even allowed Molly and Moonlight to have a successful summer competing. However, the problems soon flared up again.
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In September 2022, Moonlight began having severe saddle issues. Molly decided to give the horse more lessons and frequently took him to physical therapy, but nothing seemed to work.
Typical Young Horse Behavior or More?
It got to the point when many were suggesting that the horse should be euthanized. Whereas once again, Molly claimed it could be nothing more than a case of typical young horse behavior.
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Molly was aware of the behavioral issues and subtle problems, including biting, clumsiness, and being rather jumpy. This led her to speculate that another problem was behind the frequent outbursts of bad behavior
Molly Was Determined to Get Answers
Moonlight’s behavior got so bad that Molly’s parents decided they could no longer handle him. Yet, she wouldn’t give up and decided to take him back to the vet for further examinations.
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However, this time, Molly would finally get the answers she was looking for. Moonlight was diagnosed with a condition known as ‘kissing spine,’ which had been overlooked in previous examinations.
Moonlight Was Living in Tremendous Pain
The veterinarian described the condition in simple terms as “when the vertebrae in the horse’s spine rub together and cause excruciating pain.”
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Thankfully, Moonlight finally got the treatment he needed. Molly said: “He had a ligament snip surgery at the end of May, where the ligament between the spinal processes is cut to allow them to move apart and create space, taking away the pain.”
Moonlight Goes Through Extensive Rehab
After the surgery, Moonlight had to go through an extensive recovery process. Molly said, “He has to follow an intense rehabilitation program to build his core and strengthen his back. Kissing spine is a degenerative disease, so his future is still uncertain, and the rehabilitation is lifelong.”
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She continued, “I have not sat on him again yet, as I’m taking everything slowly and making sure he’s ready and happy.”
Molly Finally Solved the Problem
UC Davis Veterinary Medicine Center for Equine Health explained why a condition such as ‘kissing spine’ played a huge role in Moonlight’s behavior.
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They said horses with kissing spine “can exhibit changes in behavior such as hypersensitivity to brushing, grittiness, bucking, rearing, head tossing, kicking out, hollowing the back, resisting the bit, trouble with transitions, cross-cantering, and refusing or rushing fences.”
Moonlight Is Making a Full Recovery
Molly said that Moonlight’s behavior has undoubtedly improved following the surgery, and he’s a much happier horse.
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Those who have read the story around the world admire the love and patience Molly showed Moonlight during his tough times. One comment summed it up perfectly by saying, “There’s no such thing as a bad horse, just one that’s misunderstood.”