The Tin Man

Originally Posted by Honu

Hi folks, just stopping by to give an update , Tinny is still being a very good boy , not moving around too much and he is not favoring that leg and is standing on all fours which is a good thing. Dr Blea and Dr. Morgan stopped by and had a look at him and took the stitches out of his ankle , they suggested we mud all four of his feet once a day with white cooling mud and put him on some foot medicicine called Trentol , which is perscribed to humans with heart issues to keep the blood flowing good to his feet.
He still looks bright in the eyes and his coat is good alltho he is putting on his winter hair which he started to about a month ago , he doesnt care if its 80 degrees in the afternoon by god its time to grow a coat.
This morning as I was leaving I stopped to give him a pat and pushed the halter back from behind his ears because he is wearing it 24/7 now , I started to scratch him right up behind his ears and the bugger put his head in the crook of my arm , at that point I had to go because I was going to lose it in the shedrow.
You all have know idea how much all your support means to everyone in the barn , we understand your questions of why and and we also understand your pain because we feel the same way. Tinny for sure feels the love because he is accepting this with so much grace and heart , please keep the good vibes flowing and thanks again for all your love.

Group prayer has unbelievable power, let's get some going for the Tin Man!

[Honu]

Hi folks ,
Here's an update on Tinny , the swelling in his right front leg is coming down and his spirits are still good. We have had to give a little bit of tranquilizer here and there because he has been squeeling and moving around too much.
He is so smart you cant even open a mint in the office without him looking in to see if its for him or not , lol , he is so funny he rests his head on his hay rack as he is looking in, so pitiful the look he gives. He is still not favoring his hurt leg and is standing on all fours , his temp has been normal and his feet are not carrying a pulse or heat.
We have had to put a small mud bucket by his his stall to keep the hotwalkers from walking by too close , its still his herd and he likes to pin his ears at the other horses when they walk by just so they know he is still the boss.
To answer the question about someone being with him all the time ( it was asked on another forum) , we are all there from 5am until past 11am , then the daywatch person ( who we have always anyway) is there until everyone comes back in the afternoon. When we finish up at 4 pm Jim-bo our night watchman is there until about 4 30 in the morning or until the first person comes in .
Richard doesnt like us to spoil the horses in the front of the stall because it makes them beg ( we do it anyway when he is not looking ,lol) but I catch him more than once a morning scratching behind Tinnys ears and petting him and Tinny returns the favor my hugging him with his head and licking Richards neck.
We are still overwhelmed by the outpouring of love , gifts and cards for Tinny , its such a comforting feeling knowing so many care this horse.
I will give updates about every week or so , thanks again for all your prayers and well wishes , it really means alot to all of us.

[SuffolkGirl]

This is great to hear Honu - thanks for the update. And keep on spoiling him, he deserves it!!!

[smuthg]

best news I've got all week! Honu, thanks for the updates...

[Riot]

Great update, Honu, thanks so much, and good news that things are going well - what a lucky horse Tin Man is, to have people that obviously care so much about him.

[azerica]

Thanks so much for the updates. Be a good boy Tin Man. Yes, he definately deserves to be spoiled....

[Lava]

What a great update you give so much info Thanks. glad to hear Tinny is feeling better.

[mbahadur]

Update by Jay Hovdey in today's DRF. Looks like a full recovery.

On the other side of the continent, another battle-scarred racing warrior turned the ripe old age of 10. The Tin Man, still in recovery mode in stall No. 1 at Richard Mandella's Santa Anita barn, was foaled on Feb. 18, 1998.

With any luck at all, The Tin Man would have been back in some sort of action by now for his owners and breeders, Ralph and Aury Todd. Maybe not in the 1 1/2-mile San Luis Obispo Handicap, which is Saturday's feature at Santa Anita, and which he won in February 2003. But certainly some kind of racing plan would have been cooking, if only he hadn't cracked a knee while emerging from the anesthesia administered during diagnostic surgery last October.

It was tense for awhile. The Tin Man's self-inflicted injury was more serious than any of the several racing maladies that he had weathered through a seven-year career, during which he won $3.3 million. Founder in an off leg was very possible, and the fracture was complex. But with the help of the occasional tranquilizer, and more hands on care than you can imagine, he is out of danger and ready for the next chapter of his remarkable life.

"We probably could have sent him to the farm a month ago, but I kind of like having him around," said Mandella, who can be seen late most mornings, hand-walking The Tin Man and letting him bask in the sun.

"The X-rays show good bone growth in the knee, although he's developed an arthritis on the outside of the knee," Mandella said. "He walks a little stiff and he always will. But he's dealing with it okay, and he's not in any pain."

The Tin Man, once a free-running geriatric hero who won the Arlington Million at age 8 and the Shoemaker Mile at 9, now must be content with being described as pasture sound. That pasture, at least for the time being, will be at River Edge Farm in the Santa Ynez Valley, where farm manager Russell Drake will provide The Tin Man with a home for as long as he wants.

"He'll need a little time to be let down and get used to living in a pasture," Mandella added. "If I know him, he will try to run off."