What's the story? My boy broke his neck in Dec 2012 so interested to hear.
That was brilliant, makes it all the more special knowing the history. Certainly hasn't dented his confidence. :smile3:
wonderful thread! wonderful horse! wonderful rider & partnership! Made me well up![]()
Hi everyone! This thread has just been brought to my attention, and I wanted to thank all of you for your support!! Pirate is just the most amazing horse, and I've been very much in love with him since I got him at the racetrack as a 3-yr-old in July 2006, for a few hundred dollars. His neck fracture in Jan 2013 was substantial; he was hardly able to move at first, didn't want to put any weight on his left foreleg, and seemed to have little control of his hind end. Having been told by one vet he should be put down, I was just thrilled to be bringing my boy home, even if it broke my heart that I would never ride him again...or so we thought.I'm so grateful to my friend Francis Whittington, staying with us at the time to teach a clinic to my students (and me!), who gave me his own ArcEquine to use and put me in touch with Ian Thirkell, who has been one of our biggest supporters. Together these two refused to let me lose hope in my brilliant horse, and the ArcEquine was not only largely instrumental in the healing process, but a most effective comfort and pain management tool for my sweet Pirate. It seemed impossible that the neck would heal back in such a way that did not put pressure on his spinal cord, as generally the calcification and scar tissue would cause permanent effects, but somehow my amazing boy pulled through this...and as you can see, he's back and better than ever.
Pirate's comeback this spring has been extremely emotional for me, and I thank my lucky stars every single time I sit on this horse. Thank you all so, so much for your kind words...and for not laughing at me TOO much for the way I talk to Pirate (or, as it seems, scream "OH MY GOD!" when he's coming into a fence a bit too quickly) the whole way round. Please keep cheering him on from across the pond!!!!Though I blog infrequently, I try to keep the Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelsey-Briggs-Eventing/106733712734342?ref=hl) fairly up-to-date, and there are plenty of pictures and other videos of him on there if any of y'all want to see them!! Again, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! Go Pirate!!!!!!
![]()
![]()
Kelsey