In college athletics when an athlete gets injured or sick; he or she usually is sent to the team's athletic trainer. If the athlete's injury/illness is serious enough, they are later referred to the team's doctor and later perhaps to a specialist if their condition merits additional treatment. Once diagnosed, a course of treatment is then settled upon and the program's medical staff oversees the athlete's return to competition. 
 
But what if you are a four-legged equestrian animal-athlete weighing in excess of 1000 pounds and standing 16 hands high?  (Approximately 5'4" in human measurement terms.) If you become injured, who helps you with your rehab once the veterinarian has diagnosed what is wrong with you and prescribes a course of treatment for you? After all, it is not like you can discuss your condition or situation with the doctor or arrange healthcare for yourself.

Such was the situation facing Bentley a 22 year-old horse who has been a member of the Fighting Tiger Hunt Seat Equestrian Team and academic program for the past five years. As a result of his age, Bentley developed a condition known as Equine Cushing's; a disease of the pituitary gland, which is a gland located at the base of the brain that produces hormones in response to brain signals. This caused Bentley to contract a condition known as Laminitis or founder, as it is commonly called, which results in the destruction of the sensitive, blood-rich laminae that connect the horse's hoof to the soft tissue of the foot.

Facing such a painful condition Bentley's riders from the Fighting Tiger's Hunt Seat Team rallied around him to undertake his care which included icing his front feet and legs every few hours throughout the day and night for a week's duration. All of the team was involved in covering the evening shifts from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. Team members' filled these shifts for over a week to aid in Bentley's recovery.

According to SUNY Cobleskill Head Coach Professor Ray Whelihan, "I didn't have to do too much in order to get people to volunteer to help Bentley. He is a very important part of our team in that every rider in our program regardless of their ability level at one time or another rides Bentley. I contacted our team captains and they really did the rest."
Fighting Tiger team captain Grace Schartau, Pawling, N.Y., Pawling High School, was one of the athletes organizing the team's efforts on Bentley's behalf. The senior equine science major was one of the team leaders getting her teammates involved.

"I contacted our Barn Manager Lorraine Stevens about what had to be done and she told me that we had to ice down Bentley's front feet and knees at first every two hours and later when his condition did not improve significantly, every 45 minutes during the night for about a week. I went to social media and asked people to sign up for times during the week to work with him. I was impressed that that we had no trouble filling the time slots required."

Over the course of the next week Fighting Tiger riders spent their days, evenings and nights placing Bentley's front feet in ice buckets, putting ice packs on his knees and keeping their injured teammate calm.

All of this was not an easy task as Bentley, being an older horse, wanted to get some sleep at night. Despite his apparent understanding that his teammates were trying to help him get better; at times, he would try to pull his legs out of the ice buckets or hesitate to go back into the cold water. He would also whinny at his caregivers from time-to-time.

As senior Animal Science major Alex Trulsen, Delmar, N.Y., Bethlehem High School, pointed out, "Everyone who comes through our program rides Bentley. We all love Bentley because not all horses can handle riders of all levels of experience and sizes and he just takes it all in stride literally. He has a personality and can be very cheeky to the point that he is like a grumpy old man who you just love."

Along with Grace Schartau and  Alex Trulsen, Coach Whelihan credited team members:  freshman Maria Gianakopoulos, Bayside, N.Y., John Jay High School, sophomore Liana Lebron, Bronx, N.Y., Hostos Lincoln Academy of Science, sophomore Sheila Sanders, Spencertown, N.Y. Chatham High School, freshman Allie Cassarino, Foxborough, Mass., Foxborough High School, sophomore Nikkole Hine, Seymore, Conn., Nonnewaug High School,  freshman Hannah Davis-Wyman, Quincey, Mass., junior Sara Diegel, Albany, N.Y., Colonie High School, junior Mikenzie Stahl, Duanesburg, N.Y., Duanesburg High School, junior Holly Mundorff, Hamlin, N.Y., Brockport High School,  sophomore Hayley Bell, Brenhards Bay, N.Y., Paul V. Moore High School,  junior Taylor Della-Volpe, Southampton, N.Y., Southampton High School, senior Brendan D'Costa, Hicksville, N.Y., Jericho High School, sophomore Connor Ashley, Otego, N.Y., Unatego High School, sophomore Ashley Easterling, Averill Park, N.Y., Averill Park High School, sophomore Maureen Healy, Washingtonville, N.Y., Washingtonville High School, senior Calley Knapp, Dundee, N.Y., Dundee Central High School, sophomore Emily Carey, Grahamsville, N.Y,  Tri-Valley Secondary School, freshman Nadya Sato, Cornwall, Vt., Middlebury Union High School, and sophomore Julianna Ciccotelli, Hillsborough, N.J., Hillsborough High School for their hard work in the rehab process.

With the Hunt Seat Equestrian season put on hold due to the Coronavirus, Bentley is resting and continuing to rehab in hopes of competing in 2021. He currently is convalescing at his stall in the SUNY Cobleskill Equestrian Center where he is eating a healthy diet supplemented by snacks of carrots and apples supplied by his Fighting Tiger human teammates. (He is also slightly upset by the fact that he is not allowed to have sweets due to his condition.)  

According to Coach Whelihan, "Bentley's condition has improved and his prognosis is positive."
   
Coach Kays told me that she reached out to you about repping your team for our "Mask Up" video. It's pretty straightforward and should only take 1 minute of your time. The athletic department is going to put together a video of why our student-athletes "mask up". I will record you saying why you wear a mask. You will use the words "I wear a mask because.." or "I wear a mask for.." and then state why you wear a mask (protect your family, friends, community, stop the spread, so you can play your sport or whatever your reason is). Feel free to have fun with it and make it personal. You will need to wear Cobleskill gear. It can either be a practice shirt, team polo or any other team apparel. Just make sure you represent your team well.

Bentley's AMAZING Story told by two members of our Hunt Seat Team! 

Head Coach and Professor Ray Whelihan taking about Bentley!