1989 dark bay Thoroughbred gelding

 

                                                              Secretariat

                                Purely Pleasure

                                                              Your Place Or Mine

"Corporate King"

                                                              Bel Iman

                                Bel Cristal

                                                              Life's Illusion

 

 

In the Fall of 2004, TREES received a call about a 30 year old Thoroughbred caught up in a family crisis.  The family's six other  horses had been placed in new homes, but nobody wanted to take on an elderly hard keeper.  After receiving photos, we immediately agreed to accept the horse into the program.

 

Val arrived October 12, 2004 with a folder of paperwork that didn't seem to belong to him.  The information inside the folder stated the horse described was only fifteen years old.  We then checked Val for a lip tattoo and, sure enough, after confirming his ID with the jockey Club, we found we had a relative youngster in our barn, not the thirty-year old we'd been expecting.

 

Why would his owners believe Val was thrity, when they had information saying he was half that age?  He was missing several molars, unusual for a 15-year-old, but several vets, one specializing in dentistry, confirmed that his remaining teeth were "consistent with those of a 15 to 18 year old horse."  Still not understanding the discrepancy, the only thing we could come up with was that perhaps it was easier to accept Val's condition if his caretakers believed he was "old." 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                   

 

 

 

 

 

 

Even though Valentine is quite young in TREES terms, he has serious dental challenges.  By age 15, he was virtually unable to eat grass or hay, so required an "elder" feeding regimen.  Immediately started on soaked senior feed, Val gained weight in no time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

Val remains somewhat of a challenge, even though he is one of the youngest members of the sanctuary herd.  Though we try to keep a six-month exam schedule, he is prone to frequent, unexpected, dental difficulties.

 

 

 

 

 

In the fall of 2007, Val suddenly stopped eating altogether.  Examined by two different veterinarians and a dental technician, no cause could be found.  Finally, a dental specialist from the American School of Equine Dentistry found these: 

 

 

Three fragments, all that remained of one tooth, were embedded beneath the surface of Val's gum.  It is easy to understand how the sharp point of the smallest fragment alone would cause extreme discomfort.  Once these fragments were removed, Val resumed eating with gusto within 24 hours.