On Tuesday, July 31, 2007, two members of PEARL answered a request for assistance from the Anderson County Sheriff's Department. Dispatch called to report that a pony was running at large on Lee Dobbins Road.

Our news report is here.

The pony appeared to be slightly underweight, and had untrimmed hooves that were up to 7 inches long. The hooves on her rear feet were so long that they curled upwards. The pony's back was arched because she was attempting to walk with her rear legs under her to alleviate the pain in her feet. One bystander remarked that the pony's hooves were curled up "'cause she'd been eatin' sweet peas."

PEARL transported the pony, now named Sweet Pea, to a secure location for evaluation and treatment.

The following morning farrier Benton George from Greenwood removed most of Sweet Pea's overgrown hooves with a carpenter's saw, and trimmed them as best he could. He recommended that she have her hooves trimmed every 4 weeks for the next 8 months, until the hooves have completely grown out.

He wrapped her rear feet with a mixture of sugar and iodine as a poultice, and recommended that we continue wrapping her feet for 5 more days.

Veterinarian Keith Stafford examined Sweet Pea and found no significant health issues. He gave her a tetanus shot.

On August 23rd, farrier Paul Harrison gave her a second hoof trim.

On August 31st, Keith Stafford returned to give her a complete set of innoculations.

Sweet Pea after a month of feeding, poking, prodding, washing, and combing.

On September 24th the owner pled guilty to a single charge and voluntarily surrendered Sweet Pea to PEARL.

On September 25th Dr. Alice Beretta x-rayed Sweet Pea's feet to determine the severity of her hoof founder. Dr. Beretta noted that Sweet Pea is a serious founder case, with a 30 degree rotation of the coffin bone. This will require careful attention to her hooves and her weight for the rest of her life.