DJ and Lucy
This month's Patient Spotlight features DJ and Lucy the mini donkeys, Austin Equine's new mascots. DJ (short for Dow Jones) was bred by Stock Market’s Miniature Donkeys here in Dripping Springs. Austin Equine saw him just days after his birth last spring for a left front lameness and sent him off to Texas A&M where it was discovered that he had been born without a navicular bone in that foot. Since he can’t have a career as a show donkey, DJ was given to us in the hopes that we could give him the treatment he needs for his rare condition. Though we all quickly bonded with DJ, he was lonely without a donkey friend, and so his breeder sent us Lucy (Loose Change) to be his companion. (Yes, we got a donkey for our donkey.)
In the short time they have been here, we have all fallen completely in love with these little donkeys. DJ and Lucy spend their days greeting patients in the barn, observing lameness exams, and eating Dr. Evans' landscaping. DJ is very friendly and loves to follow people around, hoping they might have a few minutes to give him a good scratching. Lucy was a little more standoffish at first, but she has quickly learned that it's easy living here at Austin Equine and will push her nose in if she feels like DJ is getting more attention. Recently, DJ even started being allowed inside the clinic, so don’t be surprised to see a donkey hanging out in the front office with Kumi next time you visit us!
Cody
Cody is a new patient who was referred to us by Dr. Fry for a giant seroma over his stifle. He is a 13-year-old Tovero Paint gelding who was actually a stud at the Bell Ranch in New Mexico for many years before coming to Texas. He now lives with Kelly and Howard Polden at their home near Marble Falls. Despite being a stallion for most of his life, Cody is remarkably quiet and laid-back, but this is not his only unexpected trait!
Cody is a classic looking stock horse Paint with blue eyes and a large, heavily-muscled body, but Kelly rides him as a competitive endurance horse – a discipline generally dominated by Arabians. One of the reasons Cody has been successful in this field is his unusually low heart rate. 
A normal resting heart rate in a healthy horse is about 36 beats per minute, but Cody clocks in at 22-23. As Cody's fitness improved with his endurance training, an asymmetry in his hips became increasingly obvious, and last year it was discovered that he had fractured a hip in his younger years. As long as it does not impinge his motion, Cody has been cleared to continue his life on the trail. His low heart rate and can-do attitude make Kelly and Cody a competitive force as well. Last fall, she rode him on two back-to-back 25-mile races at the Hill Country State Natural Area outside of Bandera. They took 11th place the first day and 12th place the second day, and will continue training and competing when the seroma issue is fully resolved.
At Austin Equine, we love the fact that Cody is so unique that he can be a success in a sport where no one would expect to see him. We also appreciate his good nature when it is time to treat or examine his stifle, and we know his family does too! Kelly says he never kicks, even though she is sure that some of the treatment is uncomfortable for him. Keep bucking those trends Cody – we expect to hear more great things about you!
Special thanks to Dr. David Fry of Fry Equine Health for referring Cody to Austin Equine Associates!
Oxie
We love our gentle giants at Austin Equine! Oxie's "real" barn name is Oxford, because his breeder's naming theme that year was fabrics, but he soon became "Ox" because it was quickly apparent that he was going to be a very big boy. He is already 17 hands and not even three years old yet. Oxie is a 2-year-old registered Appaloosa, by an Appaloosa stallion out of a Thoroughbred mare. His spotted breeding is apparent on the top of his rump, where he has white and dark spots and roaning. Oxie has a big-dog personality, and even when he was a yearling, his breeder described him as having a ten-year-old brain in a one-year-old body. And that is why his owner, Ann Livingston, took him home! She says he was all head and legs, and her main hope was that he would grow into that head.
Oxie lives on Ann's farm in Dripping Springs, and will eventually do the local hunter shows. He wears a saddle and bridle and long lines in the round pen, and will be started under saddle next spring. Oxie is so amiable that he lets his smaller but older pasture mates push him around, so he most likes to go out with his weanling half-brother, Dibs, of whom he is very protective.
At Austin Equine, we just adore Oxie for being one of the sweetest and quietest 2 year olds we’ve ever encountered. The weeks of bandaging and rechecks following his recent injury would try the patience of any horse, but it’s especially frustrating for a young guy. Oxie dearly loves Dr. Joyce, but when she has had to wrap and re-wrap his hock tightly to stabilize the area, his drama begins – he curls around to stare at it, stares at us, stares again at the hock, holds his heel up, drags his toe – until he realizes he really can still walk. Oxie makes us laugh!
Silvio
Silvio is one of Austin Equine's biggest patients at a towering 18.2 hands. Fortunately, he is also extremely sweet and easygoing! Silvio is owned by Kristin Landwehr, and is happily retired at her ranch after an impressive jumping career. He is a
12-year-old registered Oldenburg gelding who was bred in Germany, then imported to Mexico where he competed in the Grand Prix jumpers and was sponsored by TeleHit, Mexico’s version of MTV.
Kristin bought him in Mexico City and brought him to the US where they were very successful together in the High A/O and Grand Prix jumpers all across the country. Silvio has quite the sweet tooth, and will do anything for peppermints, red vines, and root beer barrels. Kristin calls him "Big" and says he is the most honest, brave, careful and dependable horse she has ever ridden.
At Austin Equine, we love Silvio because he is one of the easiest horses around to work with, as he is incredibly calm and stoic. He is one of the very rare patients who has endured every treatment, including shockwave and diagnostic anesthesia (nerve blocks), without sedation or even a twitch. When it's all over, he just flaps his big lips to beg for some peppermints. Silvio is one of the coolest horses around, and that is why he is our latest spotlight patient.
Jelly
Jelly is a small Shetland Pony with an enormous personality. He is owned by the Brunker family, and he lives at Switch Willo Stables in Austin. The Brunkers bought Jelly from a family who kept him as a backyard pet to be the perfect size pony for their daughter, who is now 4 years old. She has been riding Jelly in a miniature horse bridle and 12” saddle since she was only two! Jelly is a wily little guy who hates tall people and getting wormed. He has a weakness for Studmuffins Treats though, and will let his mom Tory catch him easily anytime she has one. His favorite friends in the field are the tallest horses and his soul mate Merrilegs, who is not much taller or rounder than Jelly himself.
At Austin Equine, we love Jelly for his devilish pony attitude – until we have to catch him that is! For a pony that is almost as wide as he is tall, Jelly is exceptional at hiding from us when it’s time for worming and vaccinations. He will always be one of our favorite characters, and that is why we made Jelly our first Patient Spotlight.
If you are interested in submitting your horse for the Patient Spotlight on our website, please e-mail a photo and brief bio to: austinequineweb@gmail.com.