Page 144 - February 2021

““I just love being at the facility every day,” he adds. “I don’t think there’s anything better than going into a colic surgery with everybody expecting the worst and having
the horse come out okay.”– Dr. Larry Findley, Sr.
After a stint with Dr. Graham, Dr. Findley worked as a mobile veterinarian at the Louisiana racetracks for more than 20 years. While making the circuit, he also made good friends. “We’re like brothers, to be honest,” says trainer Kenneth Roberts. “Even his family means a lot to me because I’ve been knowing them since I think 1982 and we’ve been really close since then.
“He’s just one of those people you believe and trust in and is one of my best friends
in the horse business,” Kenneth adds. “He’s going to be honest with you in whatever he says. And he means a lot to everybody in our organization and in that little town. He’s put a lot of people to work there.”
CATALYST FOR CHANGE
Delta Equine’s Center’s original facility got hit by a tornado in 1988; then in 1996, Dr. Findley launched the remodel of his Crain Road barn area into a small animal hospital and large animal surgery suite. But in Sept. 2005, Hurricane Rita destroyed the facility. “We patched it together and that’s when we started thinking about moving to our new site,” he says.
The new location, south of I-10, opened
in 2006. “Then, [along with COVID], we got hit by Hurricanes Laura and Delta in 2020,” he says. “I’m still living in a gooseneck behind my house because it hasn’t been repaired yet.”
But Dr. Findley isn’t one to complain. Rather, he’s thankful for all that he’s been blessed with, including a career that he loves, the many friends and associates he’s acquired throughout the years, and the opportunity
to work with three generations of family members on a daily basis. “I’d say my biggest success has been the love of my family and the blessings God has given us: Delta Equine Center and all the great friends along the way,” he says.
His greatest blessing is his wife, Anita, who does DEC’s revenue auditing. “She has always said that she’s taken second fiddle to a horse because I was 30 minutes late to our wedding because my rope horse colicked and I wasn’t going to leave him until I got him situated,” Dr. Findley says.
“I told her I was going to be married to her the rest of my life, but I wasn’t going to lose my rope horse!”
Also working at DEC are the couple’s two oldest sons, Larry Jr. and Troy, veterinarians on staff working mainly at the racetracks; their third son, Craig, who obtained his commercial builder’s license at the request of his dad specifically to build the new facility and who now works as practice manager and on-site tech guru; and their youngest son, Brad, who runs the hyperbaric chamber. Their oldest grandson, Caleb, runs the breeding operation.
“I just love being at the facility every
day,” he adds. “I don’t think there’s anything better than going into a colic surgery with everybody expecting the worst and having the horse come out okay — the joy of that horse living, for the children and the people who own the horse. When the good Lord blesses you and everything works out great, that’s a beautiful feeling.”
He jokes about the finesse he’s gained at palpating mares through the years. “When
“He’s just one of those people you believe and trust in and is one of my best friends in the horse business.”
– Kenneth Roberts
I graduated from veterinary school, we
had our senses and an x-ray,” he says. “I’d feel a mare and say, ooh, man, I feel that pregnancy, and that was such a wonderful feeling for me. Now I make a game of it; I’ll call [the number of weeks] before I ever put the ultrasound in there so people can see I know what I’m doing!”
When work is done and the family wants to wind down, they get together for more family time. “My family is what I enjoy,” Dr. Findley says. “When we get together, we all get together. The boys will cook, or we’ll go out to eat to a place that can accommodate 45-50 people. We’ve got 27 grandkids and 10 great-grandkids; God has truly blessed us!”
Dr. Findley also loves watching “Deadliest Catch” on TV, and Anita is music director
at their church. “She sings like an angel,” Dr. Findley says. “She’s been the music minister at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church here for 34 years.
“We’ve just been very blessed,” Dr. Findley concludes. “I’ve taken care of a lot of good horses and met a lot of good people and I’ve been very blessed.”
142 SPEEDHORSE February 2022
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