What Do You Do When Your Old School Horse Needs Colic Surgery?

Paige (seated) and Payton Leach with Igloo at the Riding Academy of Salinas, CA.

He isn’t a famous show horse, he never won a race, he comes from questionable heritage and he’s not even that cute. Then he colics. Bad. How do you justify surgery on a school horse?

Here’s how. It’s the sheer number of kids that he has patiently taught to post, lowering his head for the bridle and flowers and ribbon braided in his mane. Patiently standing while campers paint the parts of the horse on his white coat. Disregarding the tense hands on the reins at a first show. His mane absorbing the tears of adolescent angst.

How do you put a price on that? How can you go home with an empty trailer and tell all those kids he’s gone? I couldn’t tell you and thankfully I don’t have to, because of the incredible people at Steinbeck Country Equine Clinic.

Being dragged out of bed at 2 a.m. in the morning to come save some random old pony. You wouldn’t know it though. That team of doctors and techs treated Igloo like he was American Pharoah. They were a fast, efficient, well-oiled machine. ‘Gloo’ was in and out and up within hours. I was kept informed and updated throughout his recovery and post-op. He is continuing to heal, but is home and doing great, and still under the watchful eye of Steinbeck’s finest.

To the staff of Steinbeck Country Equine Clinic: 25+ years of kids and everyone at The Riding Academy would like to thank you again for saving Igloo. You guys are the best.

-Sabrina Miller

The Riding Academy is a place where a horse doesn’t have to be a 17-hand well-bred million dollar show horse to be adored. All they have to do is take care of kids and have kind hearts. Igloo goes above and beyond that criteria. Some horses have the talent to jump four-foot courses, he has the talent to connect and inspire every kid he sees.

Igloo and Izzy Rega at the Twin Rivers One Day show.

It takes a truly remarkable pony to be able to walk up to a random camper and make her feel like the most special and loved kid in the world. We all learned to ride on him, and that love of animals and the sport was inspired by everything from our first canter, to finger painting on his belly. When he went into colic surgery, I sat there and thought that this would be the last night I saw him alive. Although he deserves every moment life will give him, colic surgery is very expensive, and he is well into his thirties. After the surgery we saw how remarkable this community is, everyone pitched in and Igloo received the treatment he needed without severe financial trouble. We are so thankful to everyone who came together and donated. Even in the worst situations there is always a lesson: I learned that the Riding Academy is a family for both people and horses, a place where ponies get every moment they deserve.

-Devin Eastman