SAM
Sam began the next chapter of his life on December 13, 2024, when he was rehomed at Gentle Giants in Mt. Airy, Maryland.
Sam had experienced several major health issues after arriving at CTR. First was a diagnosis of Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (PPID), commonly known as Cushing’s Disease. Then he was diagnosed with Equine Metabolic Syndrome (insulin resistance). Both conditions are treatable with medication and special feed. Then Sam experienced lameness in his front hooves because of the insulin resistance that we were able to mitigate with special shoeing and pads for his thin soles. Finally, Sam began to trip and stumble in lessons, indicating that there was more going on in his body. Our veterinarian surmised that he was experiencing nerve root compression, and we could spend thousands and thousands of dollars without ever finding the source or being able to treat the condition. The conclusion was that Sam, our sweet, goofy Sam, was not able to do the job he was hired to do, carry adult riders in adaptive riding lessons.
After his original owners declined to take him back, the decision was made in the best interest of Sam, and we reached out to Gentle Giants to see if he would be a candidate for rehoming him there. They said, “Yes!” and picked him up on a cold, blustery day (the kind that Sam loved!) to begin his new life of retirement.
CTR’s staff visited Sam in February 2025 to tour Gentle Giants and visit Sam at this new home. We were delighted to see that he had lots of friends with similar health conditions in a pasture (for “Fat Kids”) that was perfect for his needs, where he could be barefoot with lots of hay to eat and a patch of mud to roll in!
We get regular updates and photos of Sam, living his best life in retirement at Gentle Giants.
