Sara Kozumplik and Rock Phantom at Bouckaert International. Photo by Liz Crawley Photography.
When an intended prep for and debut at the CCI5* level for Edy Rameika’s 13-year-old Irish gelding, Rock Phantom, Sara Kozumplik spent some time reviewing her rides leading up to and during Kentucky, seeking information on how she could improve for the next time. In the back of her head sat a worry: was “Rocky” in pain, somewhere in his body?
A major part of the equation in terms of training horses is the ability of a rider to feel and see things that could indicate an issue that could be fixed, either through training or medically. Sara could feel a few things in her training of Rock Phantom, who was formerly campaigned to the Advanced and 4* level by Brazil’s Nilson Moreira da Silva, but she had enlisted the advice of some of her fellow riders after she fell from Rocky jumping into the water at Carolina International back in March.
“I sent the videos to Lynn [Symansky] and Hannah [Sue Hollberg], who are two of my best friends but also we’re always rolling ideas off one another, and I was just like, ‘I just don’t know what’s going on here. The horse should be going a lot better, and he’s been going great.'”
One of the first things Lynn Symansky noticed was that Rocky was pushing into Sara’s left leg more than usual. This was something Sara had felt herself, but hadn’t yet investigated. Lynn suggested that Sara have the horse’s neck scanned for underlying issues.
Sara Kozumplik and Rock Phantom. Photo by Sally Spickard.
It proved to be fortuitous advice, as it was discovered that Rocky had some discomfort in his neck that could either be treated, short term, by injection, or long term via a surgery that had, while simple, only been performed a couple of times and primarily on racehorses. Initially opting to inject the area, Sara knew that if she wanted to present Rocky with a strong quality of life and performance potential for the big picture, surgery would be the next step. That next step became an even stronger option after Sara attempted to start cross country at Kentucky, opting to retire after she felt the horse was not jumping well early on. After working with her longtime vet team of Drs. John and Brendan Furlong, Sara recruited the additional help of Dr. Travis Tull and the team at Ocala Equine Hospital, an endoscopic surgery (akin in humans to surgery one would have to relieve lumbar compression, for example) was performed to alleviate the pressure in the horse’s neck, between his C6 and C7 vertebrae.
“Rocky suffered from cervical radiculopathy (pinched nerve) in his caudal cervical spine, which can only be identified on computed tomography or myelography of the cervical spine,” Dr. Travis Tull told EN. “In horses, the most common cause is an enlarged articular process joint, paired joints between the vertebrae on either side of the spinal canal. That causes a narrowing of the intervertebral foramen or opening where the cervical spinal nerve travels to relay information to and from the spinal cord. This compression or pinching of the cervical spinal nerve can cause a myriad of clinical signs, including cervical pain, forelimb lameness, and even behavior changes.”
The procedure is called a percutaneous single portal endoscopic foraminotomy, or a foraminotomy for short. Dr. Jan-Hein Swagemakers developed this procedure in Germany, and to perform it, a specialized endoscope is placed alongside the enlarged articular process joint and varying size burrs and hand instruments are utilized to remove the excess bone to create more space and limiting pinching of the nerve.
“I went ahead and did it because I didn’t feel there was a lot to lose, and I thought regardless of what he does in the future, his quality of life will have improved,” Sara said, noting that due to the surgery’s rareness, the recovery timetable and the prognosis for the future was a bit uncharted. But, she reports, the recovery time was relatively short, requiring Rocky to be on stall/turnout rest or hand walking for about six weeks following.
During the recovery, Sara and her team worked with Rocky to build back his muscle and also, importantly, to show him that he could now use his left shoulder and side more completely. “We spent a lot of time walking him, without a rider, up and down hills, on uneven ground, on and off blocks, just learning that he could use it differently and that the leg now worked in a totally different way.”
Sara Kozumplik and Rock Phantom. Photo by Sally Spickard.
In the summer, Sara brought Rocky back to competition, and immediately noticed his comfort level increasing. His jumping has been solid, even as he’s built back his fitness and the muscling, particularly on his left side, that had been lost. Their efforts culminated in back-to-back victories, winning the CCI3*-S at Morven Park and the CCI4*-S at Bouckaert International last weekend, which was also the second qualifier leg for the new US Equestrian Open.
“I will say the biggest difference, while yes he’s completely straightened out and everything, is that I’ve noticed his back has hugely improved since his neck was fixed,” Sara said. “So in the dressage, I used to have these little moments where he would just feel really tight, and the ‘stabbing’ in the canter has completely gone away. The canter has been a huge change. And his stress level is so much better.”
The emergence of the US Equestrian Open has illuminated a new goal for Sara, who says Rocky is very comfortable at the 4* level. Is a 5* move-up again in the future out of the question? Not necessarily, but Sara says she’s chosen to target the Open qualifiers and the CCI4*-L Final, worth over $200,000 in prize money, at Morven Park next October, to not only support the series but also give the horse some additional time at the level before deciding if another 5* is in his future.
Sara Kozumplik and Rock Phantom. Photo by Sally Spickard.
“I think [the US Equestrian Open] is really cool,” she explained. “It’s a great thing for the riders, the sponsors, and the owners, and for some horses that maybe this is the better path for them. They all don’t have to be five-star horses. It gives us a lot of development for the Olympics and for the young riders, so I’m going to go ahead and focus on that for this next year.”
To learn more about the US Equestrian Open, including current points standings and future qualifiers, click here. The next and final Qualifier leg of 2024 will take place in the 4*-S division at The Event at TerraNova, November 14-17 in Myakka City, FL.
