Riding a one eyed horse : any differences

First off I have to say I have never ridden a one eyed horse before Charlotte.

A lot of people have asked about the differences that Charlotte my show now that she only has one eye. Well... She has always been an "in you back pocket" type of horse. She really likes to swing her large head around to get scratches and treats. Know that she does not have an eye on that side she seems to swing it that direction more often, I believe its to try to get her right eye in that direction to see better. But that being the case .. you better duck! Haha 

I am more aware of her needs now. It took some time for her to get use to being in the cross ties, I believe that has to do with the opening of the barn is on the side that she does not have her eye. She will swing her whole body in the cross ties to try and look and crank her head toward the barn opening. She has had no problems with me tacking her up and brushing on that side. I try to treat each day the same like she is a "normal" horse. I feel that if I start to baby her like something is wrong, she may start to feel that its not ok. And then she may second guess me or lose confidence. Which could result in her getting scared. 

I would have to say the biggest change for her is her eye socket. It took me a hot minute to get use to there not being an eye. The aesthetic part of not having an eye. Truthfully, I have to be honest, I was a bit taken back by the way it looked. It was not normal to me. But I remind myself everyday that Charlotte is not a normal horse, she is truly a unicorn. The socket area its self has started to sink in excepts the middle has stayed protruded a bit. This could be from a number of things that we are monitoring but all in all the area will start to sink in. 

As long as you keep on going, you'll keep getting better. 

And as you get better, you gain confidence.

That alone is success. 

-Tamara Taylor

The One Eyed Jumping Clydesdale : Results

Recap : Charlotte was taken to WSU for enucleation of the eye. After her bulging eye was removed they found a very large tumor behind the eye. They were only able to take about 75% of the tumor out. We have all been patiently anticipating the results of the histopathology report.

I have to admit, Charlotte's results came back a few weeks ago. We were waiting on further prognosis from those results and then we received almost everything we needed about 1 week ago. It has taken some time to develop a treatment plan and truthfully we are not done formulating one. It will be a process that I, myself needed to come to terms with before I wrote to everyone about it. I apologize if anyone is offended about the long wait, please understand that I value all of the support from Charlotte fans and we appreciate all of the love through this process.

We all know that Charlotte is very special and not "normal" in the different challenges she faces. She became the first full Clydesdale to complete the long format three day at Rebecca farms in Montana. A huge accomplishment for a large breed in the Eventing world. So with how special and rare she is, of course she would have one of the rare forms of lymphoma. 

Lymphoma is not uncommon with horses, especially the Cutaneous form which is normally found on the skin and presents itself as a skin lesion or small lump that can usually be removed. Charlotte has B-cell Lymphoma which covers only about 4% of the horses diagnosed with Lymphoma. ( See I told you she was special )  

Unfortunately there is no cure and there is little research with this type of Lymphoma. Without doing multiple CT scans of different part of her body we don't know where else the cancer might be hiding in her body or if there are other tumors lingering. Unfortunately we are assuming there are more. If she was a dog or cat we could scan her whole body, but right now it would be a needle in a hay stack. I am not a veterinarian and I do not know all the medical terms, but the tumor did come back as a b-cell Lymphoma and you are welcome to read more information online as well.

So what do we do now? How long does she have? Can she still jumps? I am sure you all have a lot of questions at this moment and truthfully we can not answer all of them accurately but I will try.

First of all and most importantly, Charlotte is not showing any signs or symptoms of having cancer except in her blood work. If you google and research Equine Lymphoma you will see anything from weight loss and not eating to colic and diarrhea. You will see that most horses lack energy and may become lethargic at times. I am happy to say that Charlotte has not shown any signs or symptoms of being sick. (She is a rare I told you) 

What does all of this mean? … Charlotte could be with us 6 months, or 1 year or another 8 years.... She is a fighter! Since she never showed us any signs of being sick before and the only thing that has changed for her is the eye removal, we don't know exactly what to treat or how long she will be with us. It plays like a double edge sword. In one hand she is feeling her normal self and is happy to be back to work but we don't know exactly how to treat her with out symptoms. In the other hand if she were to show symptoms we could make a better treatment plan. However, it would be hard to watch her go down hill or struggle. It would be difficult to not have the normal Charlotte. 

In truth this blog is hard to write. I am grateful that she is happy and acting normal, it makes the days go by easier. But when you start to break it all down and write it on paper it starts to make it real and that can be daunting. I am fortunate to have the memories I do and the places and people we have met along the way. We will continue on our adventures until she tells me she needs a break or wants to slow down. We will continue to jump, I truly believe that is what she lives for. 

So what now? ….. How do you treat something you cant see? How do you treat something with no symptoms? I'll start by saying, you have to have a team and a village standing behind you through the process. Without Dr Heather Fraser and Dr Gold brainstorming ideas and treatments, we would not be where we are today. I have the most passionate team of veterinarians standing behind us researching on there own time, and keeping an open mind about different treatment methods. At first we were going to inject a steroid into the site where the remaining tumor lies inside her eye to hopefully suppress the lymphoma in that area. We do not know where else in the body a tumor might lay or what has already been compromised so we decided against a local steroid and have started her on an oral steroid that she gets every other day right now. 

Along with the medication we will continue to monitor her. Key words will be "monitor" …. Any change no matter how slight will be documented and shared with our vet. We will be doing bloodwork monthly to watch the different levels and lymphocyte counts in her blood. Along with regular ultrasounds of her eye socket to watch if and when and how fast the remaining tissue grows. (if it does grow, finger crossed it wont) We hare hoping with all of this monitoring that we either find out her body is in remission or we can tweak our treatment plan as needed. 

As for Charlotte, I came to the realization the other day that she most likely doesn't understand what's going on. She might have been in some discomfort and now feels relief with her removed? we don't know, I cant talk to her like dr. Doolittle. I really wish I could. With all the research and questions I have asked, I was told one thing from a very special person ….. "stop searching for the quantity of life, and start enjoying the quality of life". When my sister, who is an extraordinary oncology nurse at children's hospital told me that, everything fell into place. 

We will continue to monitor each day and hour and take bloodwork, ultrasounds and give medications but that will not be the highlight of the day. I wont sit and look forward to the days the vet arrives (no matter how much I love her visits *:)*  ) I wont count the days until the lab results come back or the days that she has to be on medications. I will go out to the barn and forget about all that and just be with her. She doesn't understand why I am stressed and worried and truthfully no one can fix her Lymphoma so why not just spend every day like its the last. (corny cliché I know) *insert sad animal faces and music from those commercials about adoption** 

But truthfully, all in all, the plan is to yes monitor and medicate and do all of that stuff. However, you will see me out there riding and grooming, she has an appointment this week to get clipped. We are going to continue our normal routine like nothing has change. Except the jumping we are taking a bit slow, I do not want to crush her confidence. But I go out there and tack her up like normal and ride around dressage and over poles. Charlotte is her normal self, she walks up to you in the pasture, bangs on her door for dinner, and her ears always perk up when we ride around and she sees the jumps in her view. 

The last thing I want to do is take away the joy she has when she works. If she has one too many days off she will be waiting at the gate for you to come and ride. I can just picture her as a human, one hand on her hip the other held up in front of her staring at her watch, while she taps her foot on the ground. I am a strong believer in making goals, recently I was listening to a podcast that mentioned "your goals do not have an end date, or an expiration date"  … This year I want to make a few goals and I will keep that in mind. If at one show I don't succeed that goal, maybe I hit a milestone? or completed another goal? or it made me realize I need to revamp my goals? Whichever it is my main goal will be to have fun. I want to have a smile on my face the entire time. I want to make memories and leave memories behind. 

I truly believe Charlotte was put in my life to bring me on the path to eventing. With out her I would never have met one of the most caring and talented trainers. Jenny Holbrook has not only taken under her wing a Clydesdale pair that said "you know what I want to go to rolex" ….. and then had them do lots of trot pole exercises, but she also brought us into one of the most supportive communities I have ever had the privilege to be with. All of the friends we have met along the way, I look forward to seeing you back out at the competitions. Jenny has continued to help Charlotte and I through this next adventure, she never hesitate when I told her we still want to jump. She actually told me about a few other top level riders that took there one eyed horses up the levels in eventing. Jenny is the one that told me on the day I decided to have the eye removed "you will be jumping again in no time, and I am here to help you along the way" 

With out my family, friends and fur babies here by my side, I can tell you this process would have been terrifying. The encouragement, comments, and information about our new "one eyed life" and "life with lymphoma" has helped tremendously along the way. I could not have done this with out the help of everyone. If I did not personally thank you in the blog post please be aware that I am eternally grateful for your help and kind words ** you know who you are** 

Alright !!! We started this post pretty positive and now lets end on a positive note..... I think that's called a compliment sandwich. I am happy to announce that with the help of jenny and my videographer belle, I took Charlotte over two small cross rails! It was her Christmas present! We have made three goals so far for the 2019 season. I am not attached to any of these goals and of course Charlotte comes first, so if anything happens along the way I have no problem changing them.

1. Go to the Aspen schooling show in March and ride around the grasshopper course. *Keep in mind I don't need to go there and complete it. If we go in there and jump one or two jumps I will be happy and so pleased with her. If she loves it and says "mom, this is too easy" than we may sign up for a beginner novice round. The great thing about the schooling shows is that, if it goes terribly wrong you can do it again. Or if it goes so well that you are ready to move up you can purchase another round at a higher level. One of my favorite things about a schooling show that everyone needs to remember is that you are there to learn, whether that's about what your horse is capable of? or maybe what you need to work on before you go to a recognized event. … See you there!! 

2. Dressage. Kind of a wide spectrum. Before everything started we were on the road to an amazing dressage score! So lets get back at it! I want to be able to sit an entire dressage test in a competition. That could be at a schooling show or maybe we will make it out to a recognized event. I don't have to get first or third. I could even get disqualified at the end but I just want to complete one dressage test sitting the entire time.

3. Lodestar Camp. This is usually the first week of April. The most fun I have had in a long time was spending camp with the Lodestar team. I was new when I went to the first one 2 years ago and it was a great way to build confidence and relationships. I encourage anyone to go to camp, be a kid again and ride your pony bareback (with a helmet) into the grass field and just sit there thinking about your life. What do you want to accomplish? What are your fears and why? How do we help you overcome them? ….. Even if I take Charlotte to camp and I cant jump her or participate in the group events. You will see me out there either helping, taking pictures, or just sitting on my horse watching. Charlotte will be there even if the only thing we can do is practice our galloping around the large open field. It will be a blast! 

Remember to make goals and stick with your dreams. It helps me to write them down or make a vision board (stay tuned to the new 2019 vision board) Just keep in mind that its about you and your horse and the bond you guys share. 

If you don't already follow Charlotte on Instagram you can keep up with her progress and watch videos and see pictures while she goes through this adventure @eventing_clydesdale 

If you have any questions you can also email me at eventingclydesdale@gmail.com

p.s. there is a video of us jumping over the two small cross rails.... Baby steps to complete our goals. We will not get there in a hurry but it will be the adventure of a life time. Who knows, we might start writing a book in the mean time. 

From ROAD TO REBECCA ... to.... ROAD TO RECOVERY

From #ROADTOREBECCA to …….

PS It's going to be a long post so grab some coffee

please beware semi graphic picture 

When I wrote my last blog post in August about our once in a life time experience at Rebecca farms, I thought that would most likely be the last one. I thought to myself, "what could we possibly do next that could be even remotely close to that experience". Charlotte and I took a few months off from competing, we went to one small schooling show before our winter break and received one of our best dressage scores (my first time sitting the entire test) along with a super fun jump round. I kicked our intense training routine down a notch and decided we would just have fun and work on our dressage boot camp tactics for the winter months, we settled into a new, comfortable routine. 

About three weeks ago, on Saturday November 10th I went to grab Charlotte from the field for our group lesson and noticed her left eye larger than the right. We had just started doing group lessons with two really fun ladies! As I brought her in, I noticed that she did not appear to be in pain, was not squinting, and it just didn't seem to bother her. Charlotte loves to roll and lay out in her pasture and there was some dirt on that side of her face so I figured she may just have some in her eye. I continued to tack her up, she was rearing to go, and we did our group jump lesson with out a hitch in her step. 

Fast forward a few days: I went out to ride Charlotte for our normal dressage day and noticed her eye was not worse but it also did not appear to have gotten any smaller. I knew our outstanding veterinarian was on her way to administer vaccinations and I sent her a text to take a look at the eye just in case. We started her on a steroid cream for the next few days. We continued as normal, Charlotte's friend Sarah came out to ride, Jenny (our trainer) rode her on Thursday and then Friday rolled around …. Our veterinarian Heather was out to do dental work on a few horses and took a look at Charlottes eye again, because as much as it didn't get any worse it sure didn't look any smaller or any different than day one. 

Heather was amazing, she took multiple pressure readings and an ultrasound of her eye. Everything came back normal. We decided to switch to antibiotics and an antibiotic eye cream in case there was an infection or bacteria behind the eye. Heather suggested an outstanding ophthalmologist to check her eye as well. Dr Sullivan was available the following evening and did an ultrasound of his own along with a lot of probing around. He was able to asperate tissue from multiple locations behind her eye. Charlotte was a trooper through the entire endeavor, and we had part of our barn family that stayed up with us into the very cold winter night. I stayed with Charlotte after everyone left to make sure she woke up from the sedation ok and wrap her in her blanket for the night. We continued her on the antibiotics and some bute for pain relief precautionary. 

The next morning Her eye started to get worse … 

 It seemed that something in her eye was starting to drain, but the swelling was getting a bit worse as well. The draining we hoped was a good thing. We thought that meant she may have an abscess or a cyst or even a clogged tear duct. Unfortunately that was not the case. Her eye continued to get even worse. The tissue was being pushed on for too long and was starting to push its way up. Like when people flip there eye lid as a joke to gross people out. The results from the tissue samples came back with high white blood cells but did not tell us what might be causing her eye to bulge. 

Next step was to try some x-rays. 3 days after the 2nd ultra sound with the Ophthalmologist, we did a third ultra sound and multiple xrays of her eye. We were looking for any bone damage or reconstruction that a tumor may have caused to give us a better idea of what might have been behind her eye. We also took a look at her teeth incase there was an infected tooth or abscess close to that side. The xrays were inconclusive, and the third ultra sound showed a small pocket of something behind her eye but again it was inconclusive as to what might be there. We did blood work to get a baseline of her vitals, along with a report of any possible hint toward her mystery eye problem. 

Tuesday November 20th, after the x-rays, third ultra sound and a dental check we started her on some intense antibiotic to hopefully kill and fight any pesky infection that might be lingering. We also noticed an ulcer starting in her eye due to not being able to close her eye all the way from the swelling and tissue. Through the Thanksgiving weekend she was being give in a number of medications 3 times a day to try to help her body fight off what ever was behind the eye. We also wanted to keep her as comfortable as possible. I have to say through this entire time she never once acted any different. She was her normal playful self, running in the pasture and rolling around. I still have not ridden since that last lesson and I know she is excited to go back to work, however I did not want to jeopardize any progress we may have made.

The new antibiotics and other meds seem to help quiet a bit. They got us through the Thanksgiving weekend and I started to see improvement. Her eye was looking 10x better however the size never changed. I was happy to receive multiple text messages from everyone at the barn stating how much better it looked. I am forever grateful for the barn family and supports that went out of there way to check on Charlotte. I know everyone was worried. But I knew the truth, and deep down I knew something just wasn't right. The eye looked more aesthetically pleasing but it was still bulging from her head. 

On November 26th, Monday, Heather made her way out to see Charlotte and come up with a new plan. She suggested taking her to Washington state university veterinary teaching hospital in Pullman, WA. There we would be able to place her head into the CT scan in hopes of a better idea as to what was behind her eye causing it to bulge. Dr. Heather Fraser went above and beyond consulting with different veterinarians in the area trying to solve this mystery. She called WSU and spoke with Dr. Gold about possible ideas and treatments for Charlotte. After talking me through that she has done everything in her power to treat Charlotte, but the best thing would be the CT scan. 

( These are pictures of her eye before we left for WSU )

I want what is best for Charlotte, our only dilemma was traveling to WSU. First off I do not have a trailer and the one we always catch a ride in, is owned by our trainer whom is on vacation. She graciously allowed me to drive it over the pass on our 6 hour adventure. I had never driven the trailer by myself...… and I could not find anyone available to come with. I didn't want anyone taking time off of work to come along, but I also was nervous about driving. Well since my fiancé had work, I decided instead of finding someone to watch our dogs or come with me, I would take them on the road trip. Armed with snacks, a few credit cards (LOL) and my two greatest companions we hit the road early Thursday (nov.29th) morning. 

(along with my amazing coworkers that covered for me while I was gone)

I mapped out my route including rest stops and where to fill up on gas and synced my phone to the truck for hands free. I was mostly nervous about the pass and how to maneuver through the gas station haha but I know ….. go slow and turn wide ! We made it through town and onto I90 The road was clear and beautiful. No snow and not too many cars on the road. a few hours in I decided to stop for a bathroom break, found an easy rest stop to pull into and took a quick break. Let the dogs walk around, checked on Charlotte and ate a snack. Leaving I knew we had enough gas to get to the gas station and headed on out. I decided we would go the long way around and stay on I90 as long as we could, got gas in George and continued along. 

Shortly after our last stop the map told me to head south on hwy21 toward Lind and eventually onto hwy26. Since I synced my phone for hands free, I was unable to move the map around and just continued on my way. Little did I know that driving over the pass and through the gas station would be the least of my worries. As we followed the narrow road of hwy21 through the farm land I did not see a single car for over an hour. Heading into the next town, which was Colfax I was happy to see other cars and people around. The map took me through a residential neighbor and down the steep hill. The hill abruptly stopped and turned sharp onto the next residential street. White knuckled gripping the steering wheel, the hill reminded me of  Seattle, I was hitting the break but not slowing down much. After the turn we had another turn in the opposite direction, that was more of a hairpin turn than the first! Slowly maneuvering my way through I made it without hesitation (I definitely started sweating profusely). As the road got larger and we came around the last turn into Pullman I started noticing cars parked along the street. The road then started to narrow and I noticed we had made it to campus. Unfortunately we were now driving through campus. Me and the giant 4 horse goose neck were then maneuvering through WSU campus. I was so happy to see the signs pointing us to the veterinary hospital and finally was able to park the rig. 

We were shortly met by one of the most outgoing students. I unloaded Charlotte and walked her to her stall for the weekend. As we settled in, the WSU student (I will not add her name to the blog with out her consent) asked multiple question about Charlotte's daily routine and how they can keep her happy and comfortable during her stay. She then asked about the history of her eye, when the swelling started and everything leading up to our drive over. As you can tell, it was quiet the story along with the names of all the medications we tried. As she listened intently we were then met by Dr. Gold. I spoke on the phone with Dr. Gold before I left Monroe, and she was just as sweet and kind in person. Dr. Gold gathered her students and preformed an ultra sound and drew blood for labs. As she talked with her students about the discrepancies between the two eyes I started to learn a few things and also noticed the "thing" located behind the eye. 

Side note : I did not have any practice backing the trailer up, so a very nice veterinary resident backed the rig up for me. Especially because it was very dark by the time we were finishing up. Don't worry, I will be practicing that maneuver as well. haha

After tucking Charlotte into bed and scheduling a time for the CT scan in the morning, I made my way to the Airbnb I booked. This was an experience on its own, especially since it was my first time staying at an Airbnb by myself. The house was located just outside of main street in Moscow, ID and they thankfully allowed myself and my two large dogs to book one of the rooms on the upper floor of their home. After checking in and learning the lay of the land, I had an adult beverage after my stressful haul through campus and went to bed …. at 7pm!!! I also realized that I had been so stressed out I had not eaten anything except a few handfuls of popcorn on the drive over. 

The next morning I met with Dr. Gold and her student to discuss treatment for Charlotte. She was bright eyed and bushy tailed that morning ready for her debut in the CT scan. It was incredible to witness such a large animal laying on its back with her head in the scan. The technology we have now a days is amazing. She was sedated for the entire event and then slowly woken back up afterwards while we waited for the results. Everyone stopped by to tell me what a love she is and how beautiful. She was hand walked and politely received scratches from everyone.

The CT scan showed a large mass behind her eye. The dilemma I was in had to do with her possibly "healthy" eye. Dr. Gold was great, giving me multiple option on how to approach the situation. Since the scan shows a large mass that was contained to the globe of the eye, it unfortunately did not tell us exactly what the mass was. Her blood work showed high globulin levels, which could indicate that the mass was a potential tumor. SO that brings us to the decisions making ……… 1. take a potentially healthy eye to find out that the mass was just an abscess??? 2. Leave it in and go home in hopes it is an abscess but find out that it was a tumor and now Charlotte is at a higher risk???? 3. Take out the eye just in case it is a tumor???? ….. I decided to go through with enucleation surgery and have them remove the eye and send in the mass for testing. 

About an hour later I received the phone call that the surgery went well, Charlotte was recovering very nicely and that I made the right call. The mass was a tumor and now we just need to find out what kind. Unfortunately the tumor was quiet large and they were unable to get all of it out, cross your fingers its benign. But I trust that the surgeon did everything in is power. The surgeon ended up being the awesome person that backed up the rig for me. He answered all of my questions and made sure Charlotte was very comfortable after surgery.

Next came the waiting game …. I was originally scheduled to leave that next morning (Saturday) but they wanted to continue to monitor Charlotte's progress. This was kind of a blessing in disguise because it started to snow in Pullman and over the pass … a lot. After I gave Charlotte a cookie and checked on her after surgery I found myself walking through the town of Moscow, ID with my two amazing dogs. As I tried to find a dog friendly place to eat I noticed the road was closed off for traffic. We approached a man under a white tent next to free hot chocolate and asked why? … Turns out it was Mayor Bill, the mayor of Moscow! And they were having a Christmas parade which included Santa arriving via helicopter!! I rushed the dogs back to the Airbnb to feed them dinner and change into warmer clothes and we walked back into town. I ordered food to go and we sat on the front deck of the restaurant and watched the parade.

 Shortly after we started to watch the parade our old friend Nicolette invited us to her barn party! We packed up and drove the short distance to her stables and met all of her wonderful students. Some of which know Charlotte via Instagram fame and the others are students at WSU and met Charlotte at the hospital. After we all talked about Charlottes surgery and our time in Pullman, I had the pleasure of participating in the late night bareback ride. Nicolette graciously allowed me to ride her sweet pony Princess, and yes she lived up to her name. I talked with Nicolette about trying to find a place to stay since I only booked my Airbnb through Friday night and she was over the moon with having me stay at her home Saturday night...… I only had to find something to do the last day while Charlotte recovered.

Saturday morning I woke up early to pack my stuff and feed my doggies, followed by my meeting with Charlotte's care givers. That morning I realized my older dog Cooper was not eating any of his breakfast. I sat down and hand fed him one kibble at a time until he would not eat anymore. Cooper and I have a similar if not stronger connection than the bond I share with Charlotte and I think he was feeding off my stress and it was starting to effect him.

Our drive to visit Charlotte was short, we met up with our favorite WSU student whom kept me updated all night about her progress and then updated me again that morning about all her vitals and how she was coping with only one eye. She had a slight elevated temperature over night and her heart rate was a bit fast indicated she may have been in a little bit of pain so they administered some pain management and her temperature went back down to normal. That morning she seemed a bit more quiet than her usual self, so I spent a long time scratching her in all of her itchy spots. I decide to give her some time to relax and they said I could come back to visit later that afternoon.

(Charlotte enjoying her scratches)

One of the amazing resident veterinarians recommended a fun low key hike that I could take my dogs to that morning. The roads were still pretty icy from the snow before and it continued to snow into mid morning. Cooper, Mac and I made it up to Kamiak Butte to over look Palouse, WA. The view that early in the morning with all the snow was just stunning! And the dogs had a blast. I think they both needed to get out and play as much as I needed the time away from worrying about Charlotte and whether I made the right decision or not. 

Of course I forgot my hiking boots but I still had my nike tennis shoes which worked out really well on the trek up the trail. We had so much time on our hands, we moseyed on up the trail stopping to take fun pictures and enjoy the scenery. Soon we found the very top of the trail with the picnic area and a sign that indicated : continue down trail 3 miles to parking lot level: difficult. I figured since we had plenty of time, that the "difficult" trail would not be too bad. Little did I know that it was pretty skinny and steep at times. My nike's did a great job at keeping my feet dry, especially since it was dry snow, however it was not an easy trek down the mountain. I slid down more than 50% of it and few slides resulted in falling on my back side into the snow. 

We finally made it down to the parking lot and settled in for a snack while we watched the snow fall. Meanwhile I was intently watching the weather reports for our potential drive home the next morning. After rearranging the truck and driving back into town, the pups and I went on a mission to get dog food and anything else we might need for our evening and drive home. You see Mac has food allergies and I had only packed enough dog food until Saturday so we were on a mission to find a local pet store that carried his (or close to) dog food. We found a fun little shop called "pets are people too" then off to the local market for some fresh soup and snacks. I realized I again had skipped all meals during my stressful evening and morning awaiting updates on Charlotte. 

The pups and I made our way to the lovely home of Nicolette and Jared to clean up and get ready for our last visit with Charlotte before our long drive the next day. I snuck in an apple for Charlotte to munch on and she was acting like her old self. She was ready to leave! She seemed to be adapting well with her new loss of vision on the left side. Besides the accidental bonk on the head to our favorite WSU student she seemed to be getting around her stall very well. I tucked her in one last time and promised her we would leave in the morning and headed back to the house for some much needed rest. 

Unfortunately, Cooper my older dog would not eat at all that day and really started to scare me. I was worried we were going to have to stay another few days with him in the hospital this time. He seemed to perk up that next morning when I told him we were going home and we packed the truck up for the last time in Pullman. 

Back at WSU Veterinary teaching school, Dr. Heaton the surgeon stopped by (I believe on his day off) to show me how to bandage Charlotte's incision site. He was very helpful and answered any last minute questions I had and even made sure I was ok to hook up the truck and trailer. (since he was the one to back it in for me haha) With everything packed and hooked up we slowly loaded Charlotte into the trailer. She bumped the left side just a bit but was happy to be headed home. 

Our drive started out better … with some help from new friends I found a better route out of town instead of through campus and around Colfax instead of through the neighborhood. The biggest challenge was the white fog from the cold snowy morning. It was trying really hard to snow, small snowflakes were falling on the windshield and I could only see about 5 ft in front of me while I drove. Slowly but surely we made it out to hwy 26 and instead of going around this time, we went straight through. It was a bit scary in Cle Elum with it actively snowing and lots of slush on the ground with the side of the road covered. Charlotte was moving around quiet a bit, which made the trailer slide a few times. I believe she was feeling her pain meds a bit more than I anticipated. But we made it to our first stop for gas and then up and over the pass. Slow and steady we were finally home. 

When we arrived at the barn, I was so relived to get out of the truck I parked in the middle of everything haha! Letting the dogs out and opening up Charlotte's window so she could see that we made it. As I opened the back door tot he trailer, talking to her so she knew I was approaching on her non vision side, I started to un tie her. As we slowly backed out of the trailer Charlotte started to panic just a bit. Her poor legs were trembling and she was trying to turn around and see behind her. Normally she nicely walks backwards out of the trailer with no problems. I don't know exactly how she was feeling but, I could tell she was scared and possibly having some depth perception issues backing out of the trailer. She flung herself forward a few time before I had her just stop moving. Calmly and slowly, while talking to her I eased her one small step at a time backwards. Once she had one foot on the ground I half expected her to fling herself backwards but she calmly waited for me to step out of the trailer next. 

Walking her to her stall she was greeted by all of her friends, she was excited to see them and eat her dinner. I made the mistake by not swinging wide enough and she clipped her hip on the wall into her stall but between the two of us we will get the hang of it. Time will only tell what she wants to do next. Charlotte is ready to get back to work, that much I can tell. Whether we jump or not and how soon we will compete again is up to her and the progress she makes, one hoof at a time. We are still waiting on results of the tumor that was found behind her eye, but for now we will take one day at a time slowly healing and adapting to her new life style. She has already proven to defy the odds and I am excited to see what the next challenge/goal is for her. 

This trip was a lot of firsts for me and a real adventure, but I also learned a lot about what myself and what I am capable of. It is crazy to think that this time last year we were #roadtorebecca bound ... the journey of becoming the first full Clydesdale to compete in the 3-day long format in Montana at the beautiful Rebecca farms. Now we are #roadtorecovery and who knows?, You may see us at Rebecca once again, this time even more special. #underdog

Updated 12/6 : Thanks to the wonderful horse community, multiple people have reached out that want to donate toward Charlotte's recovery and help out in anyway they can. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. 

If you would like to donate, I set up a paypal account for her 

www.paypal.me/eventingclydesdale 

or Venmo @cortney-mcdaniel

A Dream come true

The end of the road to Rebecca 2018

The thrill of Eventing is an adrenaline rush I have never experienced before in my life. Setting the Goal to become the very first Clydesdale to compete in a 3day long format was easy to write down on paper but it has been a challenging 2 years of preparation. Charlotte and I would not be here with out the help of our trainer, family, friends, our vet and farrier and of course all of the team Charlotte fans that have supported us along the way. The weeks leading up to Rebecca, the hours traveling and preparing, and the week of fun in the beautiful state of Montana would not have been possible with out the huge support team behind the very first Clydesdale to compete in a 3day long format and no better place to achieve that goal than the magnificent Rebecca farm.

Our week leading up to the event was nerve racking, we were still on the waitlist finger crossed there would be a spot opening up. Along with that I still had work, home life, and preparation for the email that we are off the waitlist. Charlotte and I practiced our new dressage test and continued our endurance training. I made lists of things we needed for the long drive and the 8 days away from home and started packing. The email finally arrived and we were on the road to Montana!

The morning of our departure, Charlotte decided she needed to stretch her legs and took off running toward her pasture for one last blade of grass before the long drive. Our 10 hours of traveling quickly turned into 12 when we blew a tire on the hot pavement just outside of Ritzville Washington. Multiple stops along the way to give the horses water, extra hay and of course a few treats we made it to Rebecca Farm. That moment continuing down the driveway to your stall, staring at the beautiful facility and all the work and dedication put into it, was the realization that we made it. Charlotte was here.

We arrived a few days early to the event, to allow the horses to get acclimated to the higher elevation and the hotter temperature. I personally was thrilled with the heat! A few lessons, competitor meets about the long format and an “accepted” at barn inspection we were finally ready to start day one.

Wednesday morning was our first jogs, the day I was most excited for. With all those feathers and that thick mane braided, only took roughly 3 hours to get Charlotte beautiful and ready. Thankfully Jogs were in the late part of the morning, so I had time to make those Clydesdale feathers extra white and flowing. Myself, was about 20 min of preparation and we were walking down to the first set of jogs. Our colors are Grey and yellow so I opted to wear a fun yellow sun dress with grey ankle boots. Charlottes turn to strut her stuff down the jog path. I will not forget that feeling after hearing the announcer, “Charlotte, Accepted” 

 Another early morning on Thursday, with plenty of time to braid and fluff the feathers we were warming up for dressage. I am extremely grateful for my friends helping me at the warm up ring, because my nerves were in full force. It dawned on me, this was it, this is what we have been working on, so lets show them what we got! Charlotte tried her heart out in our dressage test, scoring us a 36.0. One of new goals for the fall/winter is to improve our dressage for the next year. I was very pleased with our score, but who is kidding, I was happy that was over and ready to start our cross country adventure the next day.

Friday morning was even more nerve racking. I took Charlotte on a few long walks to keep her joints lose and my mind busy. The fun part about the long format is that cross country day is also endurance day. With two watches, all the times and check points written on my arm, we started Phase A at 1249. The first phase is roads and tracks, we have 12 minutes to get to our next phase. The trick is to use it as a warm up, with out exhausting all your horse’s energy because you still have 3 more phases after. I spent the 12 minutes trotting and listening to what Charlotte needed. I knew we did not have unlimited energy to waste, we had to use it wisely. Trotting in to phase B with an extra 2 minutes on the clock I let her walk around and stand while we waited for our turn out the start box. 4 minutes later we were full speed toward steeple chase, what a thrill! Charlotte ate up all 4 fences and the sound of my second watch beeping told me we made time while crossing the flags to Phase C. Letting her gallop a bit into the canter then slowing it to another trot session we had 18 minutes to get to our vet box.

Walking into the 10 minute vet box we were overwhelmed with people that loved us. Everyone was there to help cool Charlotte down and help get her temperature down. We stripped all her tack and started icing and trying to cool her body down, which was no easy task for a draft horse. After the ok from the vets and another drink of water we were tacking up to start the final phase. Out of the start box onto the cross country field was a blast. Charlotte was giving me her all over every jump. We normally have a hard time at the water jumps, however she was courageous at each jump. We finished strong with-in time even with one refusal. Charlotte was running her heart out! At the end of our last phase we were met by NBC Montana, what a rewarding interview to talk about the greatest and most willing horse I have ever met.

The last day of our competition was very emotional, Charlotte and I were both exhausted. Up at the crack of dawn to start the hours of beauty work put into Charlotte, we were set for our final jog. Charlotte sported yellow yarn in her braids, and I wore yellow corduroy pants with a fun white tank and jean jacket. Once the announcer stated we were accepted yet again, we were off to show jump that afternoon. In the hot sun around 3pm we set out to complete the final chapter of our goal. High up in that saddle Charlotte and I gave it our all. Together we made it through the week and together we finished our show jump round. We knocked two rails, taking us out of the ribbons but that’s not why we came to this event. We built an unbelievable partnership and trusted each other to get here. It’s not always about the ribbon or the prize or moving up a level, it’s about the memories and the people you meet along the way. 

Our goal was to become the very first full Clydesdale to compete in a 3day long format competitions. Not only did we meet that goal by attending, but we exceeded that goal by finishing and completing. We went home happy, healthy and ready for our next adventure. The best part of our time in Montana was meeting all the people from around the country that have been cheering us on. Almost every check point during our 4 phases of endurance day there was always someone cheering for the Clydesdale.

The journey to Rebecca Farm is one of my greatest accomplishments. Taking Charlotte as the very first Clydesdale to compete a 3day long format has heightened our partnership to a new level. I am sad to be back at home after the competition but it was the most rewarding and incredible experiences I have had the pleasure of attending. The feeling of accomplishing a goal you have worked non-stop for the past two years is the greatest reward and who knows what will be instore for us next.

Novice Debut @ SSHF Horse Trials

Spokane Sport horse Farms Horse Trials

~Novice Debut~

One qualifier down, 3 more to go before our 3 day event in Montana at the lovely Rebecca farms. We finished our very first Novice recognized event in Spokane this past weekend, and we left with room for improvement! Always keep an open mind... Our goal was to get through the weekend feeling strong and ready for our Road to Rebecca 2018. After a challenging but fun cross country course and some pretty tough competition we did just that ...... Charlotte proved herself as an official Novice horse at a pretty tough venue.

Our weekend recap ~ with pictures and video links

Thursday we packed up and left early .... I only had about a 4 hour nap before Jenny came to pick me up and then we headed off onto the road to Spokane. That feeling of excitement before the show, the adrenaline of the cross country course, and that amazing feeling of being prepared for the competition. I didn't have the ... "lets just get to the other side of the jump" feeling! I was ready! Charlotte and I were fully prepared and ready for the weekend. Unloading all the horses we set out for a short jump school in the arena, Jenny is always finding ways in continuing to make sure we are prepared. 

Day 1 of Competition: Dressage 
Our test was scheduled for 0912 in the morning which was enough time to walk Charlotte and make sure she ate her breakfast while braiding her mane. Charlotte has a super thick mane and normally takes me about 1 hour to braid, however I use yarn and they have the potential to stay in all weekend. I normally take them out after we show our dressage test because I don't think Charlotte loves them as much as I do! HAHA "hurts to be beautiful" We spent the day before cleaning and whitening her feathers...... but then after she was in her stall I discovered how dusty it was and I came back to BLACK feathers! I was mortified! ..... Clydesdale trick of the trade : Corn starch is your best friend! I used an entire box of corn starch on her feathers that morning! She was absolutely smashing!

Walking down to our arena I replayed all the movements in the test. We have practiced a hundred times, shown in small schooling shows with the same test and gone over it in my head the entire drive down. We were ready! Warming up Charlotte was SPICY ..... I felt like I was on a ball of energy. moving from warm up arena to outdoor warm up arena to the final arena I was struggling on containing that power. She was on fire! and any small correction I gave her amplified the result so we took a deep breath ...... slowed down..... stretched out ..... and "A" enter working trot down the centerline. I felt the test was not our best, however givin the horse Charlotte was, we worked as a team to hold it together. She was amazing! I could feel her floating underneath me. The last twenty meter circle we start cantering and all of a sudden ........... I forgot what to do next!! You will see in the youtube video, my small "glitch" at the end. We recovered smoothly to score a 31.1 placing us in 6th to start the weekend off strong! Dressage Test : Dressage in Spokane

Day 2 of competition: Cross Country 
MY FAVORITE DAY!! even though our scheduled time was 0754 in the morning!!! I have to say the course looked a bit daunting, long, and challenging but I have so much confidence in the training Charlotte and I have been doing I was not worried! This was the first time I felt more excited than nervous to attack a cross country course. Spokane was everything I was warned about. The terrain was challenging along with all the fences feeling maxed out..... all in all this was the perfect start to our season. 17 jumps , 2 water hazards , multiple hills up and down .... my plan was to start out conserving her energy than toward the end, the last stretch of course I would let her go the pace she wanted. Jenny made a really good point "there is no reason to run the horses out on the first show of the season and risk breaking them, take it easy, take your time and don't worry about time too much". This course was the biggest confidence boost, just what we needed for the start to the season. We started the course strong but conservative on energy, I was a bit nervous of the jump leading up the hill but she took it in stride with out hesitation .... dropping down into the first water jumps we got a bit stuck and ended up trotting the jump out of the water. Back up the hill to the other half of the course, Charlotte wanted to gallop so I let her.... we came up just a bit short in the AB combination and Charlotte came to my rescue with her little wings attached to her feathers. Dropping down again to a fun bright jump pictured below and fun ditch! coming up over the last hill to the last couple jumps and the second water we flew through the finish flags with enough gas in the tank to start all over again. We did end up with 10 time penalties but no jump faults! I really made it a point to give Charlotte all the time she needed to see each jump and read the question throughout the course.

My training and conditioning program really paid off and I'm sure If I was a little less conservative in the beginning we would have been double clear but the risk was not worth her huge confidence boost! Charlotte felt on fire after that course and ready to concur the next! Our ten time faults dropped us down to 16th place but I didn't care, I was on cloud 9 with her performance and the always growing bond and partnership we continue to strengthen.

Day 3 of competition: Stadium Jumping
Last day .... Stadium is always a difficult day because there is no scheduled times. They start from the person in last place and go up from there. Spokane had one arena going at one time and they started from the top and made there way down the levels/divisions. So we had the opportunity to ride in the warm sun, however Spokane sport horse farms did an exceptional job with keeping everything flowing smoothly. The classes were going quickly and we were soon headed back down to the arena for our Novice Stadium jumping round. We were not in last place which gave us the advantage to watch a few rounds and learn from those riders. Many riders missed jump 8, so I was determined not to forget .... especially with my "oh shit" moment in the dressage ring! Our round was very well put together, we were calm and collected, took our time to make it out to the edge and give Charlotte enough time to see everything and set her up for success. We had a right hand turn to #7AB and Charlotte fell to the inside too much which cut our corner a bit, which in the end had us pull a rail on the B combination. I knew the minute she started tipping and my "not quick enough" reaction that she could not save me from that one. I am not upset or disappointed, I have a unique horse that gives me her whole heart and soul as long as I can set her up for success. She is very tidy and quick but sometimes she physically can not pull those huge hooves off the ground fast enough. And that is not fair to her. We still have so much to learn together and I can not wait until the next event ...... in two weeks!!! Here is the youtube video of our stadium round: Stadium round

Excited to take everything I learned and the always growing partnership to the next event ~ to the Equestrian Institute Horse trials in Cle Elum, WA Memorial Weekend! 
See you all there!!!

I really need a day in between Saturday and Sunday

Busy, Busy Bumble Bee

Weekend 

I know that our road to Rebecca will be super busy with shows, work and family life so this past weekend was no different but here is a quick look into my "weekends" off with Charlotte.

Monday through Thursday consists of Working midnight to 11am and then driving out to the barn to keep Charlotte fit. Wednesday was a much needed Dressage lesson with our encouraging Trainer Jenny Holbrook and then a group jump lesson Thursday after work. Followed by "beauty day" Friday morning, in which Charlotte received the royal spa treatment and a hair cut! We cleaned and packed the trailer to prepare for our schooling show Saturday morning. 

As most of you know I am a 911 dispatcher for King county and I do love my job, all things considered. It is one of the most rewarding jobs I could have chosen to be apart of and even though there are a few difficult calls, I am blessed to be able to serve my community and help people every day..... My partner on the other hand is a Fire fighter for East Pierce Fire and Rescue going through the 15 month training program and currently in the active fire academy. #powercouple 

He is one of my biggest supporters and loves Charlotte! A little secret, he is afraid of horses! Which works out in my favor, I get to hang out at the barn and have "me" time. 

Alright, back to my blog ...... So Friday I rushed home after a morning full of horse grooming, to get ready for Family day at the Fire training academy in the Lakewood area. It was my turn to support him this time, and meet up with our family while we watched the fire academy show everyone what they have learnt the past few months. 3 hours in traffic later...... Finally made it with only a few minutes to spare I sat down with my family to watch the event. My younger brother is only 5 and absolutely loved the show! I am so proud of my partner, he truly is a blessing in my life and I could not be who I am right now without his love and support. It takes a special kind of person to tag along in the horse world, especially when you are taking a Clydesdale through the levels on the #roadtorebecca2018 .   

After rushing off, back to the house to pack and prepare for the schooling show in the morning I was finally in bed around 11pm. 

 Early morning, rising at 430 am to be out at the barn, loaded and on the road by 6am for our drive to yelm, WA. On our way to the fabulous and beautiful Aspen Farms in Yelm, WA ... It was the perfect day for it, not too hot just a little bit of cloud coverage to keep the horses cool. But of course we love the no rain part!! I drove myself that morning, following behind the horse trailer due to an obligation that required my attention after our jump rounds. Charlotte and I did not compete until 130 pm so we spent the morning hand grazing, videoing other team mates, and catching up with great friends! The best part of waking up is folgers in your cup ..... just kidding haha!! The best part of the show weekends is the friendships you create along the way. The support system is incredible, I have never been in a team oriented atmosphere like the horse family!!
Charlotte was a rockstart out on the course, we were galloping around and finding all the great spots before each jump. I had the biggest smiling on my face and I fell more than prepared for our first Novice recognized event the second weekend of May down in Spokane!! The height did not seem to bother Charlotte and the course had many questions that made her and I think about the approach of each jump, including an up bank to a down back with 5 strides to a verticle. Charlotte had a blast, she loves the challenge!!

PC: Kyrah our new horse show friend

Charlotte and I were on cloud 9 while cooling down and untacking for the afternoon. She was absolutely amazing, reading every fence and working as a team. She received many cookies and lots of scratches while she ate her favorite snack of alfalfa! you can watch our video on youtube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eugp1Qh14Og

After Charlotte was cooled down we checked in with our trainer, Jenny because she was going to take Charlotte home, back to the barn for us! The main reason I had to drive my self to the show was due to an event I was invited to later that evening. So I drove to a faithful friends house on the way to the event (so I didn't have to drive all the way home than back up to the event) to get ready! 

Just a short back story of the event : about two years ago, on April 11th I had only been released from training to take 911 phone calls only, for about 1-2 weeks. I received a call from a frantic wife of her husband whom collapsed in his office. Through encouraging words I provided life saving CPR instructions over the phone, which she preformed strongly. They not only saved his life but, the Cpr preformed broke 8 ribs ! (which is a good thing) He was "revived" or his words "resurrected" and then rushed to the hospital where he underwent surgery in the utmost care facility. His lovely wife was told he had about a 2% chance to live. After he woke from his coma the blessed couple wanted to meet the entire team that helped save his life, including the 911 call receiver/dispatcher. This was a great honor, normally in a life threatening situation no one remembers the calm voice on the other end of the phone. I had the great pleasure to meet them and take a picture that ended up in the city of Bothell newspaper.

Fast forward to the afternoon of the show ( Saturday) : I was invited by the couple to attend and be an honored guest at there table during the Overlake Bandage Ball fundraiser.