ARTICLES BY DON WEST
LIFE’S HARD LESSONS
Hello Don, I met you
this fall at the Puyallup horse expo. I was the sadly tearful new owner of
a Peruvian. You were so very kind and caring when we spoke. My partner,
Floyd and I have been reading your books. They are so very helpful.
If only I had read them before purchasing Zar. I would have not have had
the stars in my eyes and been much wiser and cautious. So now I deal with
the reality of my mistake. I now know that my dear Zar has the dreaded
disease DSLD. The previous owners denied knowing he had a problem.
They said they thought he was just out of condition. Yes, I made a major
mistake of not having the pre-vet exam. In the last 3 months I have
learned that as well as much more. My first horse is a sweet heart but now unserviceable
after 3 vet exams and an ultrasound. He has a 3 finger lesion
in both suspensory ligaments. So, now I know where large animals go when
they need to be put down. Just an hours drive from my home is a wild life
refuge always in need of donations for feeding the various carnivores. Zar
is happy down the road in a pasture for now. Have you heard of the new
treatment for this ailment called A-cell therapy? I understand it is
costly and may not work to regenerate healing cells. The vet I most
recently spoke to said this treatment is not being done around here. Do
you know anywhere that it is being done? I have been looking at
various other breeds. You suggested I should look at a Paso Fino. I
did not get a chance to ask you why, why I now ask. Hope all is good with
you and you are on a happy trail. Hope to hear from you, Katie Isaac
Dear Katie,
I appreciate you
taking the time to e-mail me, and I am pleased that you found my book Paca Paca,
A Sure Cure For The Trots, Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Peruvian
Pasos, But Didn’t Know Who To Ask, valuable to your education and
understanding of the Peruvian Paso Horse. At the same time, your letter filled
me with sadness. I could feel in my
heart your pain and sorrow, caused by the degenerative condition developing in
your beloved horse, Zar. I know it will not change anything, but it may ease your
hurt somewhat to know that many, many other Peruvian Paso owners have had to
endure the same disillusionment, disappointment, frustration, and yes, even
anger that comes with the realization that your dream horse has turned out to be
a nightmare.
As far as I can
tell, DSLD (degenerative suspensory ligament desmitis) is found in many breeds
of horses…. not just in Peruvian Pasos. However,
unfortunately, Peruvian Pasos have a disproportionate, larger amount of this
disease, more than any other breed I am aware of. This is undoubtedly the result
of the very small gene pool that now provides the foundation for the current
breed, a change that took place after the agricultural land reform in Peru, as
it developed from a workhorse to a show horse. The problem is also exacerbated
by the facts that Peruvian Pasos have been selectively bred with extra long
pasterns (to soften their ride) and with a more than usual cycle hocked
conformation (to make them reach under themselves further). These structural
characteristics just tend to exacerbate the problem.
Anyone buying a
Peruvian Paso horse would be well served to be aware of this (above mentioned)
information and purchase one with eyes wide-open. Peruvian Pasos are undoubtedly
(on average) the world’s smoothest riding horse. The majority of them stay
sound through a normal life spam, like any other horse. However, buying one is
something of a crapshoot – a high-risk proposition. If you purchase one that
does not have suspensory ligament problems you are likely to love the horse and
become a big fan of the breed. If, on the other hand, you are among those
unfortunate ones who buy a horse that has (or develops) leg problems, you are
(as you know only too well) in for disappointment and heartbreak.
The reality of DSLD
not only causes the situation you find yourself in, it creates a real dilemma
for the dedicated breeders of Peruvian Pasos (like me). Of course, as a
reputable breeder, I want all my customers to get a horse they will enjoy and be
happy with. I do not want to purposely sell someone a horse that I know is
“weak”, or is going to “break down” soon after they purchase it. And
yet, as a breeder of Peruvian Pasos (for twenty five years now), I have never
been able to be absolutely sure. I have never wanted to cheat anyone. But, I
need to sell horses. After all, I’m not running a zoo! So, I have always
recommend that all my clients have the horses vet checked by their own vet (one
they pay for), and I recommend that they insure the horse, at least for the
first year. That way, if it should turn out that the horse develops DSLD, my
conscience is clear, and I can live with my “no return – no whining”
policy.
Let me tell you,
you can study this problem to death. In fact, many people have. Still, the only
viable real long-term solution is to have all breeders stop breeding horses that
have DSLD. That, of course, is easier said than done. After all, there is a lot
at steak in this. People have both their pocketbooks and their egos heavily
invested in these beautiful, often expensive horses. And the most popular
bloodlines, the horses that sell for the biggest bucks, are probably the breed's
worst
offenders. Of course, it’s easy to blame people for being unwilling to
confront this problem, especially if you have bought one of the effected horses.
But, put yourself in the shoes of the breeders. I am sure you can see how difficult it
would be to end up having to cull a substantial part of your beloved herd.
Because of my
awareness of this problem, and because of the resistance of many of the owners
and breeders to solving it, I decided about six years ago to stop breeding
pureblood Peruvian Pasos. We now outcross all our remaining Peruvian Paso mares
to a big, strong, good-natured Mountain Pleasure Horse stallion from Kentucky.
His name is “Big Red”. We love the horses we are producing.
They all seem to be strong and sound. Frankly, I am glad to no longer
have to deal with DSLD at the personal level. It is hard on everyone, buyers and
sellers alike. Because I have loved Peruvian Paso horses and have given them so
much of my professional life, I do hope they will face, tackle, and solve this
disease that so undermines the reputation and future of the breed. But for me, at this
point in my career, it is all academic. Personally, I will never breed another
pureblood Peruvian Paso. I've left this behind, and moved on. We’re enjoying our new cross, our “Paso-Pleasure
Horses”, and we think they are the right horse for today's Pleasure-Trail Riding
marketplace, horses that are “beautiful to behold, smooth to ride, and
easy to handle”. I’m sorry for your loss. I wish you well. Happy
trails, Don West
P.S. I don’t think there is any cure for DSLD. Paso Finos don’t seem to have the problem. If you want an easy going, smooth riding, and strong pleasure-trail horse you might check out the various registries of Kentucky saddle horses. Just a thought.
Copyright © 2004 by Donald Parker West
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