He is looking good!

Good-lucking guy!

He's looking great! I'm so glad you saved him. You'll have to get riding to lower that cost per ride!

Wow, look at his form and coat! Great job and bless you for your heart of gold!

He's so beautiful. I love his copper coat; it looks like a brand new penny!

Speaking of pennies, I'll bet he's been worth every penny of those expensive rides, Marilyn!

What a stunner! Wow Marilyn, he's come so far in a short period of time. The love and trust (and good food) you give, is amazing, and heart-warming.

He looks beautiful, Marilyn. You kept your promise. I would never recognize the Val of yesterday to the Val of today. He makes my heart sing! Thank you.

He is so shiny and gorgeous!!! Thank you for saving him and taking care of him.

He is beautiful.

You are a mighty special caring person, Marilyn!

Good job, Marilyn.

So good to see you posting.

You have been in my thoughts all week.

You must have read my mind, Marilyn! I was going to start a post asking how he is but the wet ground called me to do all the weeding I could today.

Val looks fabulous. And I can tell he's bringing you much good; no one could have done better! You must be most relieved to know that his hooves are doing well and the worst-case scenario didn't happen. Thank you so much for posting--makes my day.

Marilyn... I too look so forward to your Val updates......he is beautiful........so lucky to have you looking out for him.....

He's put on a LOT of muscle weight since the last pic you posted. He's getting that BIG rump back ...making him look healthy! You've taken exceptional care of him! That lush pasture and your white house is very pretty.....

He's looking really good,Marilyn.......

Val looks wonderful Marilyn - I'd been hoping you'd share an update soon. He's filling out so nicely, any guesses as to how much weight he's put on?

Morz, I don't really have any way to tell for sure. I would like to see him gain a little more. The farrier doesn't want him to gain much more until his hooves are straightened out though. I was feeding him 3 times a day, but I have dropped it down to twice a day, plus he is out on pasture all day and has hay in his stall all night. If he has to stay in for some reason...he has hay then too. He drinks a lot of water...more than any horse I've ever seen and I was concerned about it. I don't quite understand all there is to know about it, but the vet suggested testing him for insulin resistance. He will need to stay over night at the vet hospital, and fast and then be fed and blood drawn after the fast and after feeding and it sent off to a lab. Val is a fairly old horse. I got a pretty good look at his teeth yesterday while he was sedated. If he is insulin resistant....he would require very special care. I am not sure I could provide it for him....part of which is being kept in a dry lot. He loves being out so much....I think he would really fret if he had to be kept up all the time and the other horses got to go out all the time. I guess I won't borrow trouble....and will let well enough alone, at least until later in the summer when I should have more money, if I want to get him tested. He still needs his teeth worked on, vaccinations and several more farrier visits. I love this horse so much....I almost love him too much. I worry about him all the time. I am so afraid he is going to have some condition that will not only prevent me from riding him, but will make him uncomfortable. I need to banish these negative thoughts and concentrate on how far he has come in a short time.

Gorgeous animal! So much work but look at those rewards!

Don't worry about the insulin resistance too much. I had a very nice Oldenburg mare that I competed in dressage that had insulin issues. It, with diligence, it is quite manageable for a very long time. Once we had her figured out and her grain greatly reduced in carbs, she was able to go out on pasture for several hours per day. I'd be happy to provide you with more info, if you'd like.

Lisa

I always love seeing your updates on Val. He sure looks so much better now with all of your good care. He is one beautiful boy, Marilyn.

He does look so handsome and healthy! I'm hoping that all of your worries are banished with the diagnosis. Of course you love him to pieces, you've gone through heaven and hell to rescue him!

What an amazing transformation. You have worked some wonders with him. With older horses, it can be difficult to get them to regain weight. But he looks great.

I am not up on what was wrong with that beautiful horse, but good to know tere are folks out there that love animals. As for me and my house, we usually prefer animals because they love you even when we are not pretty, smart or thin. They love us because we love them.

I'm sure that makes sense that if his feet are still in question, the farrier probably doesn't want him at his very best weight yet. He looks so good right now, it's hard to remember he still has challenges in front of him. Please don't worry too much about the maybe's, maybe this is just one thirsty horse, and maybe Lisa will have some helpful experience for you if it comes to that. He's come so far under your hands and must be feeling so much better. Just love him and enjoy him, that's going to be as important as anything the vet can do. You've really done wonders with Val in such a short amount of time, I never dreamed he could come this far this quickly....must be your magic touch, you can be proud of him and your work.

Poppy, this was Val when I got him in early January. Lisa, thanks for the support about insulin resistance. He is on a low starch sfeed. It seems like he drinks a lot of water so I asked the vet if there was a test for Cushing's and that is when he mentioned insulin resistance. A lot of what he said I didn't fully absorb. I may just be borrowing trouble. He suggested testing him because I have already put so much money into him. He was said to be 14 yrs old. Of course they lie and this particular kill pen is known for their crooked deals and the horses are horribly mistreated. The vet said in his 20's. I don't mind so much because he looks good and he has "been there....done that" sort of horse. I am 70, so I appreciate his experience.

KILL PEN ?? Oh, how I hate those darn things. What a lucky horse Val is. He does look lots better. I am not really a horse person, seeing as the only horses I have been around are plow horses as a kid. But I love them and not too afraid of them. You are sureely a horsey angel to Val. God Bless you and your big heart.

Morz, thank you. I am good at "bringing horses back". I think I enjoy that as much or more than riding them. ;). And I have owned a lot of old horses. A good senior feed is what I rely on.

Poppy, he was one day away from shipping to Mexico to be slaughtered. The big truck was already there. They had him 2 months and tried to sell him because he was a good horse but he kept losing weight and they kept dropping his price. It was down to half. I still paid too much for him $850 but I don't regret it. He is so lovable. Whistle and he lopes to you. This was someone's good horse at one time. Sad he ended up where he did, but he will never go back.

I'm so glad he's doing well! He sure does get into trouble doesn't he!?

You know, as I'm getting older, I'm beginning to notice and pay attention to how many old people are dying and no one wants their stuff. Unfortunately this happens to their animals also. I wouldn't be at all surprised if possibly he belonged to a man that maybe got old and died and his family didn't have any interest in his horses etc. I am seeing this so much for dogs lately. I keep up with a few local rescues and I see it all the time...them looking for someone to adopt several dogs (hopefully all together because they are bonded) because their owner has either passed away or is too ill to care for them...perhaps in a nursing home. It's so very sad!

I've seen that too, Arkansas girl. Horses, donkeys, mules, dogs and cats, and I am sure parrots and other animals suffer the same fate.

He does get in trouble. I think it is because I like him so much and I am so particular about him. If I just didn't care so much, maybe he would get along better. I didn't ride for 20 years. My horses were fed and taken care of but I didn't worry about them. They never got sick or hurt. we put down one 35 year old that had a cancerous tumor on the side of his head. It was basically inoperable, especially at his age, so we let him go as long as he got along and was eating and not losing weight. One day he just looked bad and didn't want his feed. I knew his time had come, but he had a very good life for a horse....horse companions, hadn't been ridden in many years, never missed a meal, never got sick. He was still in good shape and looked at least 15 years younger than he was.

Val is enjoying being a horse. Being in the kill pen is very stressful, so this time to let down and relax is good for him. He just happens to live with a bunch of mares and a molly mule and they can be bitches. He is timid around other horses to begin with...probably from being around very aggressive horses at the kill pen and not ever getting enough to eat. This is what he looked like when he arrived there in November.

Marilyn,

That's great that his feed is already low starch. The next step, if he is even suspected of insulin issues is to cut his grain as much as possible and begin feeding him a high fat supplement. Begin increasing the fat supplement very, very lowly (1 TB) at a time. The fat calories are what maintains their weight and energy, while unloading the demands on their system processing starch. I used a product called Ultimate Finish 40 by Buckeye and she eventually ate 3/4 Cup per feeding, but only a small amount of low starch grain. That combination controlled the insulin issues most of the time, and allowed her to maintain her strength and muscle for working hard 6 days / week.

This diet is something my vet suggested I try without bothering with the testing. He indicated it would not hurt any horse, and that if you got positive results from the changes, it didn't matter what you labeled the problem.

Hope whatever you decide, it goes smoothly for you.

Lisa

Living the good life and he deserves it! You're his angel Marilyn and you've done a fantastic job at making him whole again. He's absolutely beautiful!

The feed he is on is Nutrena Safe Choice senior. It is high fat. I will see how it goes. I will talk to the vet again in about a week. Thanks for the info. I rescued another horse a few years ago that had Cushing's. I was just hoping to manage it if Val has it. It seems to me that he drinks a lot of water, but maybe not. He eats a lot of hay and I have wet his feed from day one.

Marilyn, you sure are doing a great job with Val, and I am just willing to bet he loves you for it all.

You are a miracle worker...and have the kindest heart of anyone I know. I love seeing the pictures of Val and getting the updates. Thank you.

It's good to see another Val update. I've been wondering about him. He certainly is turning into a beautiful horse, isn't he! You have a lot of time and money invested in him, but I'm sure it's worth every cent and minute to you, the pleasure he gives you.

Rusty

He looks great!! Thank you for the update.