Lauren Boriotti and Chad's return to eventing at the Young Rider Benefit Horse Trials after his recovery from serious injury. Photo by Action Taken Photography / Tim O'Neal.
It’s any eventer’s nightmare: you go to the barn and discover that your competition horse has pulled up lame in his paddock. What at first is believed to be a simple hoof abscess is later diagnosed as a spiral fracture of the pastern bone. The consulting surgeon says your horse only has a 50/50 chance of a successful surgery.
This is the reality Area VII eventer Lauren Boriotti faced in 2011 when her New Zealand Thoroughbred cross, Chad, fractured his left hind pastern. Lauren imported Chad, a Prelim level eventer, from New Zealand five years prior with the help of Amy Tryon.
Lauren remembers she and her parents “were amazed when Amy called and said she found a potential horse for me. Amy said she jumped Chad in New Zealand and the jumps were set higher and higher until they were at the top of the standards, and he kept taking them by storm.” Lauren loved Chad from the get go, especially his fun, friendly personality. But after his unexpected injury, she faced difficult decisions.
Chad at the Washington State University vet hospital. Photo by Lauren Boriotti.
“The first communication from a vet was that we would likely need to put Chad down,” recalls Lauren. “My mom had the idea to get a second opinion. I was completely devastated at the thought of putting him down, and we sent the x-rays to WSU Veterinary Hospital where Dr. Chad Marsh (funny name coincidence) said he could likely fix this, but he may be a pasture horse for life.”
Chad’s x-ray after his successful surgery.
Despite the CT machine not working before the operation, the surgery was a success and Chad’s fracture was a clean break with no damage to the tendons. “It was a LONG process for recovery,” shares Lauren. “We had quite a few lows in the rehab period, such as the EHV-1 breaking out while he was at the hospital, and he was quarantined there for about a month after he was supposed to come home. Once home, I had to walk him everyday for 15-45 minutes for about 6 months, and that transitioned into walking from saddle which transitioned to trotting for 5 to 10 minutes and so on.”
All in all, Chad’s rehab took about a year and a half. Lauren credits Chad’s return to health to the tremendous support they received from others during the recovery process. “Everyone loves Chad, and they helped me hand walk him, monitor him in his first stages of turnout, everything. I could not have done it without them.”
Amy Tryon, Lauren’s trainer, was supportive all along, even giving the pair 20 minute walk-only lessons when they started riding again to keep Chad interested. But the most support she got was from her parents, reflects Lauren: “This is obviously an expensive route to take, but they trusted my opinion in saving him, and supported me each step of the way, even motivating me when I started to feel down about the injury. I really couldn’t have done it without them. Each step of the way we didn’t know if he would make it to the next level; I just took it as it came.”
Chad and Lauren competing Novice earlier this month. Photo by Action Taken Photography / Tim O’Neal.
This August Lauren and Chad made a big comeback to competition, successfully competing Novice at Young Riders Benefit Horse Trials in Centralia, WA. “He went from pasture horse to trail horse to dressage horse and now he is an eventer again, which none of us thought would EVER happen. I feel so incredibly blessed,” reports Lauren. “Chad did not bat his eye at one jump, he felt stronger than ever, and jumped every jump about a foot higher than he needed to. He was energetic, strong and had his ears pricked to every single fence.”
Throughout Chad’s recovery process, Lauren has been able to focus on positives. “This injury has given Chad and I the opportunity to try new things and focus on our weakest point (dressage),” she says. “Since his injury, I have gone to dressage-only shows and trainers, embraced trail riding, taught my boyfriend to ride on him (even jump!) and more. As hard as this injury has been, these last few years I’ve had so much fun really getting to work with Chad and try new experiences.”
Lauren’s advice to other riders who chose to rehabilitate a serious injury: “You need to decide whether you can accept whether you can go through this process and lose your horse in surgery or lose your horse to pasture life. I decided with the support of my parents, that I would be happy with a pasture horse. Do not give up. It is easy to lose patience and not look at what is happening in the moment. Try to look at it in the big picture.
“Your horse might not be able to be an upper level eventer anymore, but they can still be strong in another way, and they may even make it back to what you never thought you’d be able to do again. It’s hard not to get discouraged, but take each day as it comes, and put one foot in-front of the either. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Also, I recommend taking a second opinion if you are in the same situation with the advice to put down your horse and realize how lucky you are and how thankful you are to have that horse. I didn’t fully realize what Chad was, and how important he was to me, until he was almost gone. Every single day it is a blessing to have him.”
