Silva Martin's Aesthete Euthanized

Dressage

American Dressage News

Silva Martin's 12-year old Dutch warmblood horse Aesthete has been euthanized at the New Bolton equine clinic on 1 January 2017 following repeated colic surgeries. Aesthete was the 2009 U.S. Young Horse Champion and competed internationally up to small tour level.

Owned by Faye Woolf and ridden by Silva Martin, the 2005 born Aesthete was by Trento B out of Unusual (by Gribaldi) and bred by the Van der Steen brothers.

Two months ago Aesthete began suffering from repeated colic attacks and was being treated by Dr. Kyla Ortvet at Penn Vet's New Bolton Center Large Animal Hospital in Kennett Square, PA.

"Six weeks ago he had a large colon volvulus (twisted gut) for the second time, and because it compromised the colon, and because he had already had surgery to repair that before, we elected to remove 75% of the colon," Dr. Ortvet explained. "He then colicked post operatively; the horse has had chronic colic problems over the past several years, so we took him back to surgery to evaluate. He had a form of inflammatory bowel disease, so his colon was not digesting his feed properly. We tried medication to resolve that, and for about a week after surgery he was doing well, but he showed signs of colic again so we elected to put him down."

Aesthete was imported from Holland as a youngster. Under Karen Monk-Reilly he won the 2009 U.S. Young Horse Championships as a 4-year old and he finished fifth at the 2010 U.S. Young Horse Championships. In 2011 Silva Martin took over the ride and they finished third at the 2011 U.S. Young Horse Championships for 6-year olds.

In 2013 the pair made its CDI debut at small tour level at the 2013 CDI Devon. In 2014 he was not shown internationally because the horse underwent colic surgery at the University of Georgia Hospital of Veterinary Medicine. Aesthete returned in 2015 and competed extensively on the Wellington show circuit in Florida. Their last CDI was in Wellington on 15 March 2015. They finished third in the Inter I kur to music with 72.500%.

"Faye was amazing and told the vets to everything possible to save him," Martin explained. "I'm grateful to her because we really know that there was nothing more they could do. Kyla did an excellent job as his veterinarian, and it was a very difficult morning. I went to New Bolton at 6am with my friend Mary Griffin, who is Stately's longtime veterinarian, and the three of us were crying, and Faye was home in North Carolina crying. He's the best horse I have ever ridden, I really think he could have been a Team horse if he hadn't had these problems. He was also a very sweet horse, just a really good guy. I was so in love with him and it's devastating that he's gone."