My boys are home for the summer ❤

My amazing Duke

Colt Project
Subject: Rotten Georgia Peach “Boomer”
Report: 3rd ride vs. 20th ride

Please take a second to read my story:

So here I am, an equine sophomore at BHE thinking about how in the hell I only have 6 weeks left at Harvard on a Hill. Then, just when I think time has flown past me I realized the date. March 29^th. This year it marks Good Friday, but previous years it had no essential meaning. Just another day for most.

Three years ago today, I was a junior at Fishers High School. The queen of shy and awkward.  Who, in addition, only had a small group of friends.  This was fine because I hated school.  I devoted my life to 14 horses at a small boarding facility. That was what I loved. Working and socializing with horses and only horses every single day after school and early weekend mornings. I would be at the barn cleaning stalls, feeding, watching over the herds and maybe hop on my own horse every once in a while. So this particular Monday was no different. I rushed out to the truck after the final bell rang and putted through the busy town traffic until I hit the Hamilton-Hancock county line.

On this particular day, it was a nice Indiana spring day and a ton that needed to be done before night fall. First priority, migrate the four geldings on grass to the dry lot with the other 2 geldings. Simply, I opened the pasture and dry lot gates, whistled to the boys who all casually lingered up and went into their respected fields. Except Duke and Sam. These two together were the biggest trouble makers. So as I am throwing a rope around Duke, the herd of two that were in the back 40 come galloping up to the gate, which is mind you foolishly still open,  bringing the others with them. Cosmo,  a hunter build black and white paint, was the first to escape the confines of the dry lot. This is where the slow-mo in my brain happens. We both look at the grass field, I look back at the horse and he is on a full-blown mission to make it to the grass. I was at an angle where I out ran him and literally shut the gate on him just in time but I made a mistake. As a shut the gate, I shooed Cosmo to get back. And the next thing I know, his ears are pinned and turns as quick as he can on his houches followed by two back hooves aimed directly at me. I don’t know how I managed it, but I dodged left missing the full blown double barrel kick.

The end, that’s it! The story of me almost getting kicked ends there! Oh how I wish that was true. Although I missed getting hit by both hooves, I still got the same forcible impact with the left back leg kicking me square in the right side of my body. It was so strong, I flew backwards about 6 or so feet knocking my cell phone out of my pocket another 8 feet. I knew before I hit the ground something was wrong. There was this searing pain in my right side, followed by labored breathing. I laid there gasping cuss words at Cosmo for a second, then realized the pain was so bad I couldn’t get up. Panic struck me. Holding my right side, I army crawled across the gravel and dirt to retrieve my phone. You see, I was all alone.

When your barn is off the main road, and adrenaline is coursing through you, you can’t simply call 911 and tell them where your location is. So first things first, I called Matt, the barn manager. No answer. Next plan of action, call Laura, the other barn manager.  I remember her chipper voice answering the phone followed by a stream of panic when she heard me gasping out words like a fish out of water. She quickly hung up to call for help. I looked at my phone, 4 o clock. At this point everything was becoming more and more bleak. I had 6 horses walking freely over me in the small enclosed area. Except for Duke. Duke was standing in the corner, as far away from me as he possibly could not keeping his beety appy eyes off of me. Trying to keep myself calm and most importantly conscious, I texted Laura telling her it was Cosmo followed by texting Matt telling him I had been kicked and help is on the way. 8 minutes later, I heard the sirens, followed by people calling my name. I tried to respond but nothing came out. At the same time I remember seeing the paramedics, Matt and my best friend Amy’s parents. Horses were eminently put back in the pasture. But one remained, and he stood right over me with ears pinned at anyone that came near me. Duke. Duke was the last one to be caught and put in the field, but I will vividly remember my little quirky horse standing guard over me, to protect me from any other danger. Everything after that ran together. Although eyes closed, I remember my vitals being taken, followed by paniced talking in the background as I am being lifted onto a stretcher.

I don’t remember much after that. I remember in the ambulance that I told my paramedic that I was starting to feel cold and tingly. I remember making it to Methodist Hospital’s ER, having my clothes ripped off of me; IVs stuck in me and a hoard of nurses and doctors examing me. I remember feeling a warm hand wrapping her fingers around mine and opening my eyes for a split second to see my mother. After that, everything was a sporadic memory.

 I was in the ICU for 5 days. I had a grade four liver laceration causing massive internal bleeding and a bruised right lung. My vitals when I the paramedics checked me out was 60/40 (Normal vitals are 120/80). I had a non-invasive surgery to coil off the dead part of my liver and stop the internal bleeding, followed by I think 4 blood transfusions. If I were to have any more, I would need complete surgery on my liver. I was so doped up on morphine, that I hardly remember the visitors I had. I do remember seeing my family and my best friend Amy every day though. My mother hardly left the hospital. After 5 days in ICU I spent another 5 in the pediatric ward. Then I was given the OK to go home. Two weeks of no school, and no horses until further notice. I was severely weak, I looked like was 6 months pregnant with all of the fluid still inside of me and I was as yellow as the sun with how bad my jondous was.

My second day out of the hospital I went to see my Dukers. I was unable to lead him, so Mom brought him in and put him on cross ties to groom. Duke stood abnormally quiet. My mother, sister and a few members of the barn stood back and talked as I had my moment of peace with my horse. Amy said Duke was put on grass the 10 days I was gone. If I remember right, she said he hardly socialized with both humans and horses, which is unlike my horse. When grooming Duke, I became very weak. I grabbed a chair, put it in front of him on cross ties and sat down. Duke buried his head in my arms and I’m pretty sure we stayed like that for a good while. People tell me all of the time Duke is just a horse. He isn’t just a horse to me. Without him, I am nothing. God put him in my life for a reason. He’s my guardian angel.

My journeys in the hospitals were not over but I do not want to bore you with that. I will say, over those past 3 months, I was in and out of the hospital for a total of 39 days (roughly). I had six more procedures after that from a leaky bile duct, to pancreatitis, fluid in my lungs, and draining almost a liter of soda worth of bile out of my abdomen and was at one point susceptible to blood poisoning. I missed junior prom and my last day of junior year. But you know what here I am today.

You have to realize, that it took me almost dying to understand that I only live once, I only get one shot. I started coming out of my shell more my senior year of high school. I went to football games, movies with friends and even tried some extra circular activities, such as horse judging. Granted, Mr. Younts really gave me no option on that. I was shoved on a mini bus one weekend to go practice “judging.” Little did I know, the place we visited would become my home for the next two years. Yep, that’s right, Black Hawk East. I have continued to grow since my horse kick. I try new things, am more open minded on new experiences and never take life for granted. Life truly is a gift. And today always is a reminder of why my life needs to be cherished. I knowingly had well over 300 people pray for me the year I got kicked, and I want to thank each and every one of them for their love and support, even if they didn’t know who they were. Every day I am so blessed to live the life I have, even if some days I want to give up. I tell this story, not to get sympathy from my past, but to show you that I have faced death and I over-came it, which gives me the strength to over-come anything. 

Thank you all for reading my story. God bless and have a fantastic March 29^th! Me? I’ll be out cleaning stalls all day!             

Everybody this is Boomer, a black (brown) and white tobiano Paint. DOB: 4/24/09. Brief overview of this Rotten Georgia Peach: I am using him from my step cousin that lives in Georgia for my colt breaking class. At the age of 3 and a half, this horse had nothing done with him when I first laid hands on him. The first picture is Boomer the day we got him to my school (January 13th). The picture below that was taken today (March 11th). Look and personality wise, this horse has done a 360. Yes, we still have a lot of obstetrical to over come, yes he desperately needs a bath but where we are now compared to where I was with him 9 weeks ago, I feel like I am not even working with the same horse. I am so proud of this little guy. It’s going to be heart breaking to see him go in May…

The Duke of Hazard: August 2012 vs. March 2013

BAM!

No, I don’t need “love” in my life because I have found love. He has a big spotted ass, a rockin body, the cutest face you could ask for and to top it off, he has the best personality. I don’t need “love” I have Duke.

Dukie getting a much needed break!

Boomer kicking ass and taking names. His third day being under saddle ever! (Ok 3rd ride I should say)