Celebrate Tsaber's birthday at Bill Frederick Park at Turkey Lake

Tony Ulivella, a nature program specialist, had never worked with horses before working at Bill Frederick Park at Turkey Lake. 

When he saw Tsaber, an Arabian horse that lives at the children’s farm at the park, for the first time, his first thought was “that’s a big boy.”

“What happened the first time I met him?” he said. “He gave me the biggest head-butt and lifted me off my feet. That’s when I knew, OK, he means business, and he’s very, very social.”

Once Ulivella learned Tsaber’s personality and mannerisms, he said the 1,000-plus-pound horse has been a sweetheart. 

“He is a happy, old man,” Ulivella said of Tsaber. “He wants what he wants when he wants it, how he wants it, but he also loves being around people. Whenever he sees people, when he goes for walks, his head will bob like crazy.”

Tsaber will be as happy as can be when he is the center of attention Saturday, Sept. 13, during his birthday party at Bill Frederick Park at Turkey Lake. Everyone is welcome to the children’s farm to celebrate Tsaber turning 38 years old. 

Ulivella said Tsaber knows the difference between children and adults, and he will be gentle and patient with children. Head-butting or nudging is his way of playing with adults. He’ll even play with Buddy, the donkey that also lives at the park. They’ll nip at each other’s ankles and then run away. 

“Even at 38, (Tsaber) will still run away,” Ulivella said. “He’s just a very playful, old man.”

The average lifespan for a horse is 25 to 30 years, so to see Tsaber turning 38 in September is an honor for Ulivella and the other staff members at Bill Frederick Park at Turkey Lake. According to the Guinness World Records, the oldest horse ever reliably recorded was a British barge horse named Old Billy, who reached the age of 62 years old. 

Photo by Liz Ramos

Ulivella said typically, a horse will succumb to either hoof issues or Cushing’s, a hormonal disorder in horses. In the three years Ulivella has been working with Tsaber, he said the geriatric horse has had medical issues, including Cushing’s, but unlike other older horses, Tsaber bounces back quicker.

“He’s very much a one-in-a-million-type of animal,” Ulivella said. “He is strong as an ox. … Even the vet is surprised by how (well) he’s doing.”

Ulivella said he’s learned many lessons from Tsaber — not only about caring for horses but also caring for geriatric horses. He said it’s a different relationship with a large animal because “if they don’t like you, they’ll let you know.”

Tsaber is no different. He’s stubborn and wants to have his way. If he wants to go somewhere, Ulivella said he’s going, whether you want to or not. But he’s patient when he wants to be. 

One of the biggest lessons Ulivella has learned while working with Tsaber is the art of negotiations. He’s learned Tsaber is food-motivated. Give him a treat, and he’ll be more willing to do what you want — especially if the treat is an apple or carrot. 

“The biggest thing with animal handling is you never want to force an animal to do something they don’t want, regardless of what it is, even if it’s good for them,” he said. “You have to find ways to motivate him, give him positive support. (Tsaber) is very easy and difficult all at the same time. He’s very food-motivated, which is perfect. When he’s full, you better have something else to sweeten the pot a little.”

Ulivella said sometimes, it’s like playing chicken with Tsaber. Whoever gives in first wins. 

Although he’s stubborn, Tsaber also provides moments of laughter. Ulivella recalled a time when the farrier came to trim Tsaber’s hooves, which aren’t typically sensitive but when they are, Ulivella said Tsaber “can be a real bear” and gets antsy. 

One time when Tsaber was in the same spot for too long, he started moving around, which is a sign he’s either getting anxious or had to go to the bathroom.

“You don’t know which one until it’s too late,” Ulivella said. 

It wasn’t long before Ulivella and the farrier found out how Tsaber was feeling. 

As the farrier was working on Tsaber’s back hooves, Tsaber suddenly lifted his tail up. 

“It was like in the ‘Matrix’ where the (farrier) is bending backward to dodge the bullets; that’s pretty much how it was but with horse poop,” Ulivella said with a laugh. “He immediately had to dodge out of the way as it was falling out of (Tsaber). Once he got that out the way, he was comfy so he was more cooperative.”

Ulivella is thrilled to be able to have people meet Tsaber and see his personality firsthand at Tsaber’s birthday party. 

Tsaber will be haltered and on a lead rope for an hour so people can interact with him and feed him. People will have the chance to take pictures with him as well.

Of course everyone will sing “Happy birthday,” and what’s a party without cake? Tsaber will have a horse-friendly cake to enjoy. 

“There’s going to be a lot of saliva, a lot of mess, which really makes it that much more fun to watch,” Ulivella said.

There also will be a big birthday card for everyone to sign, and there will be time for attendees to learn about Tsaber’s background as well as the background of Buddy, the donkey at the farm. 

Ulivella loves to see people’s reaction to seeing a horse of Tsaber’s age trot and canter throughout the pasture. 

“It’s wild to see their faces, they don’t expect that,” he said.