Tristan the Gentle Giant from New Holland

A month ago, Horse Rescue United‘s Anouk Busch attended New Holland Auction. She outbid a kill buyer and purchased a Belgian workhorse for $35. The horse was young, but there was something wrong with his eye.

Anouk named the horse Tristan, and he spent a month of quarantine time with the Standardbreds she purchased that day. A gentle and friendly horse, Tristan charmed everyone who met him.

Tristan was examined by University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine’s New Bolton Center and diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma. When it is caught in its early stages, sometimes a horse’s eye can be removed and he can live a normal life. Unfortunately, Tristan’s cancer had spread and it is already affecting the bones in his face. The prognosis is grave for this handsome horse- surgery is not an option and the veterinarians estimated that he has a few weeks or months before the cancer spreads further and affects his quality of life.

As a rescuer, Anouk is now faced with the heartbreaking decision of how to care for this gentle giant. I met Tristan on Thursday, and other than his right eye, I did not see any other outward signs of illness.

His personality is bright, trusting, and curious. His appetite is very good, and he has gained weight since his arrival in New Jersey. He is playful, and enjoys interacting with horses and dogs.

The Horse Rescue United volunteers are doing everything they can to keep Tristan happy and comfortable. He is getting treats and affection and enjoying it all. Tristan is a spectacular example of living in the moment and I’m so happy to have met him. It is beautiful to see all the lives he has touched in such a short time.

I Wanna Be Sedated: Wizard’s Veterinary Appointment

After a relaxing and enjoyable long weekend in Georgia, it was time to get back to business with Wizard. Yesterday, the veterinarian did a lameness exam and floated his teeth.

The exam began by watching Wizard trot on a longe line. I probably should have anticipated that Wizard would be a little fresh since he is fit and has had so much time off, but instead I was surprised when he came close to pulling me off my feet as soon as we began longeing! The halter with the longe line snapped to the chin ring is normally just fine for control but he was feeling his oats yesterday. The vet pronounced him sound in both directions. I asked her about his high action and she said it’s likely a combination of animation and a loose, flexible way of going.

She performed flexion tests on all four legs and the prognosis was good. She heard a little creakiness in the right front knee when she folded it, but it is probably a touch of arthritis and nothing that should keep him from the level of work we’re doing. His left hip is dropped a bit, which is in line with what the chiropractor mentioned about the tight muscle tissue in his hamstring and pelvis. I’ve known horses whose hips are dropped far more than his and they have gone on to perform well with correct strengthening work. The vet recommended more work with ground poles to help Wizard’s topline and hind end strength. His right hind leg also showed a little stiffness with one of the flex tests, but nothing that caused concern for his current workload. Wizard quite enjoyed the jogs on the dirt road and was arching his neck and throwing his head playfully.

The vet examined his back and carefully went over his acupressure points. No back pain and just a little tightness in his pelvis. She evaluated my saddle fit and said it looks good.

The veterinarian’s advice? Get back on Wizard and try riding again. If he still is showing signs of distress under saddle, treat or test for Lyme Disease. She also suggested doing another 4-day bute test (as a diagnostic tool, not as a treatment). If both fail, further evaluations will be needed, like x-rays or blood tests. But so far, everything looks good.

Wizard also had his teeth floated. All of the hooks have been fixed and more corrections were done to his wave mouth. She was pleased with the way his mouth looks and said he can have his teeth floated next in a year- hooray!

While Wizard was under sedation, I cleaned his sheath, clipped his bridle path, and pulled his mane. I LOVE how he looks with the pulled mane- it does my hunter/jumper heart good :^) I did a combination of traditional mane pulling and a little thinning with scissors by teasing the mane up and cutting the excess vertically with scissors. I did not want to subject the poor guy to an entire mane pulling- he had almost a foot of hair and now it’s the length of a pulling comb.

Thursday, Wizard has a farrier appointment. I hope to be back in the saddle very soon.