07/29/2026
$5,271. Four days after I bought her.
That was Venomโs share of the $8,467 in vet bills.
And her story starts hereโฆ
We spent our first weekend together at a competition. She was fun, handy, quick, cowy, and exactly what I had spent so long searching for.
Sunday evening, we got home and put her in her own dry lot. Seemingly safe and sound.
By Monday morning, that plan was over.
Venom took it upon herself to move in with the herd. How she got through a solid, well maintained fence is still a mystery, but apparently she had places to be.
The fence had minor damage.
Her leg did not.
She had a large, bleeding wound with what looked like bone exposed.
The diagnosis:
โข Broken splint bone
โข Infection
โข Six months to a year off
โข A real chance she might never be fully sound again
The vet removed one small bone fragment on the spot, but a larger piece was still embedded in her leg.
That was when the word no horse owner wants to hear came up: surgery.
I started calling equine surgical centers. Several surgeons pointed me to the same specialist, someone known for treating this exact type of injury.
By a ridiculous amount of luck, I reached him just days before he retired.
Thankfully, the surgery was successful. Because of where the break occurred, he expected no long term impact on her soundness or performance.
The recovery plan was a month of stall rest, light work in three months, leg her up, and get her back in the sorting pen in five.
That is about as good of an ending as this story could have had.
But it still cost $5,271.
Venom did not have major medical coverage, so the bill was mine.
Had major medical been in place and the injury promptly reported, it could have helped with eligible diagnostics, treatment, and surgery. With $7,500 in medical coverage, this could have been a deductible conversation instead of a $5,271 conversation. Even a $5,000 limit could have helped with most of the eligible bill.
That is the part I want horse owners to think about.
Major medical cannot prevent an emergency. It can help give you room to make treatment decisions based on what your horse needs, instead of having the size of the vet bill make those decisions for you.
Venom is completely sound today. The only permanent damage is a scar and the fact that I spoiled her during recovery, so now she is an even bigger brat.
If you have a horse you keep meaning to insure, message the Ride Bold Equine Insurance page. I will help you understand the options without making it complicated.
๐ X-ray is in the comments if you want to see what a $5,271 first impression looks like.
๐ ๐ ๐
Ride Bold Equine Insurance
Coverage for When Things Get Western.
