Caprivi
2009-2019
If you are a horse person (I’m guessing that if you’re
reading this blog, the likelihood of the answer being ‘yes’ is particularly
high), and you have been doing this for any period of time (let’s say longer
than oh 5 days), then you have faced with a time when you question why. Why do
you continue to push through the blood, sweat, and tears? Why do you pour your
time, energy, commitment, and dollars (SO MANY DOLLARS) in to the love of the 4
legged? Why do you sacrifice so much for another day in the saddle? For me, at
least, the answer is a moment in time with a horse like Caprivi.
On June 2, 2018, I posted an ISO ad on Facebook. Looking for yet another young horse to bring along. Something in the 4-6-year-old range, with a lot of talent, but not a lot of knowledge or training. Baby horses are really where my sweet spot lies in my riding ability, and what I enjoy the most. I received a lot (I mean 120+) responses, with many nice (and many uh, not so nice) horses, but there was a particular private message that intrigued me. A barn manager messaged me and said, “I have a horse at my place that really meets none of your criteria, however I think he’s a pretty nice guy, let me know if you want some video.” My interest was piqued. Nothing like telling me a horse is not what I’m looking for, not having any video, and then taking an entire week to send any footage to cement my interest.
The horse was a 9-year-old Trakehner gelding. Clearly
attractive, clearly had talent, but was in need of body conditioning, some good
time under saddle, and some love.
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| A fancy warmblood or a grade quarter horse? Not sure. |
As happenstance would have it, he lived in Virginia Beach,
and I was making a work trip just a few days later to D.C., so I made plans to
make the quick jaunt over to the barn to see him in person. My quick jaunt
became laughable as a 2.5 hour drive quickly turned to 5, and then closer to 6.
Virginia traffic, you are no joke.
When I rode Caprivi for the first time, it felt a little
like riding a train that had come off the tracks but was desperately trying to
find its way back on. It felt to me like he had been given a lot of mixed
signals, been through some rough riding, and he was incredibly defensive to
ride. That said, there was something in there, something that whispered I should
give him a chance, something that said he deserved the time and energy I had to
give, something that told me he was to be mine.
I only had the pleasure of owning Caprivi for a few short
months. Our story began at the summer shows in Colorado where I spent long
hours with him trying to learn what he needed and stuffing his face with
peppermints.
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| I likey the mints little boy, hand them over. |
We had a moderately successful time at the show, but
honestly our real story began when I got him back to Texas.
His entire way of going under saddle needed to be broken
down and built back up from the ground up. His canter was unbalanced, his lead
change was quirky, his grudges were deep. But underneath it all, was a current
of trust we built together. He required a 50/50 partnership all the way. If you
didn’t meet him halfway, it wasn’t happening. Actually, there were times if you
didn’t meet him ALL the way, he just wouldn’t either. But the glimmers of greatness were there from
the beginning.
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| The change in him was transformative |
Caprivi was a conundrum in so many ways. He had a huge
stride where he could barely fit the step in on one line, but then add two in
the next. He had the easiest and smoothest lead change in the world, but only
when he didn’t think about it too hard. He was the loveliest horse to hack, but
had 100 tricks up his sleeve to the jumps. He was beautiful; he was tricky; he
was demanding, and he is one of my favorites I’ve ever owned.
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| Our first, and what was to be only time showing 3' |
On Monday, April 15th I headed to the barn on a
beautiful spring day. We had had what was our best jumping school ever on the
previous Saturday, ending with a short course of 3 flawless jumps and a perfect
lead change. We were prepping for summer showing, and I was confident we would
qualify for Zone championships, my goal for 2019. Mondays were hack days for C,
and on this day I rode in the grass field focused on balance, transitions, and
the dreaded counter canter. Our last ride together was frankly, one of our
best. Caprivi hated the counter canter, but on this day, I can say he (finally,
finally) figured it out. We ended with a lovely left-lead counter canter around
the big oak, followed by a short trail ride down to the creek.
As I was changing clothes in the bathroom, two of the guys
that work at the barn, came pounding on the door, telling me there was a
problem with one of my horses and I needed to come now, right now. I threw my clothes on and ran to his stall.
About 100 things were running through my head as what could possibly be the
problem. I literally had fed him a treat and walked away from his stall no more
than 5 minutes previously.
Horses, being horses, can find unique ways to get themselves
in to all kinds of danger, but this did not look good. When rolling, he had
managed to get a leg caught, and hang himself upside down in his stall. Things
quickly went from bad to worse as he managed to pull a grate of bars off the
wall with his leg trapped between. What transpired over the next 20 minutes is
nothing I wish on anyone. But I can say
affirmatively that as the entire crew at the barn worked to save him, I was
glad I was there with them, and no one else.
Caprivi had done significant damage to both of his back
legs, the left one taking the brunt of the blows from the bars. He was bleeding
badly, non-weight bearing, and in a lot of pain. I knew immediately that he had
to go in, and I knew that if there was one place that could save his leg, it
would be Texas Equine Hospital. As I made the 2-hour drive to Bryan, all I
could think was the pain he was in, how scared he was to get in the trailer,
and how we went from a beautiful morning hack to a life-threatening injury in a
matter of seconds.
Upon arrival, his prognosis was guarded. Based on initial assessment, he had severed 25%
of his Achilles tendon, and Dr. Honnas warned me that an injury like this could
go one way or the other. As they worked on his leg, his entire body shook, and
shook, and shook. The amount of shock and pain that he was in cannot be understated.
About 3 hours in to his treatment, as I was rubbing his head above his eyes
just like he likes he finally looked at me and took a deep breath. He put his
head in my arms and closed his eyes. I like to think he knew we were trying to
help, and we would do all we could to save him.
Over the next 5 days, Caprivi did everything right. He was a
perfect patient and was improving every 12 hours just as he needed to. On
Friday morning I got texts from both of his vets that they were thrilled with
his progress, and that he was doing excellent. By Friday afternoon, it was
unfortunately a different story. He had suddenly lost stability in the leg and
was quickly losing normal function of the gait. They wanted to give him 24
hours to see what would happen, but the early good prognosis had vanished.
As I headed to the clinic on Saturday, it was with a lot of
trepidation. I didn’t want to lose my horse, but I didn’t want him to suffer
needlessly either. It’s impossible to know what the right decision is in these
kinds of situations, and I hoped that Caprivi was that slim chance of a
miracle. Unfortunately, when I arrived no miracle had occurred. His leg had
degraded since the previous day, and in the end, there was really no choice to
be made. I spent the afternoon sitting quietly with him, stuffing his face with
carrots, peppermints, and as much time grazing as he could handle. Twice he
quietly let me know he needed to head back to his stall for a rest. It wasn’t
easy for him to maneuver, but I think he enjoyed the time in the sunshine.
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| A red halter never looked so good |
For those of you medically inclined, the necropsy showed
that Caprivi suffered from a complete rupture of the medial tendon of the gastrocnemius
and about 50% rupture of the superficial flexor tendon. It is of course
impossible to say what happened between Friday morning and Friday afternoon,
but the best theory is that he had a partial tear of the gastrocnemius that was
not detected with the original injury given where it was torn. As he began to
place more weight on the leg, what was left of that tendon gave way, leading to
the significant instability and sinking of his hock.
Some would say I’ve had a run of bad luck with horses, but I
disagree. I would say horses are a part of my life, my soul, and my being. And
they are quite simply tragedies waiting to happen. Although our time together
was not long, I became Caprivi’s person. He needed someone to trust, someone to
believe in him, and someone to give him confidence. In the end, I hope I did
that for him, and I hope he knows how hard we tried to save his life. To say I
will miss him is an understatement of no measure, but I will. I will miss the
partnership, the trust, and finding the keys to unlock the puzzle of his
potential. I will miss his kind nature, thoughtful patience, and willingness. I
will miss my friend.
There are a few people that have helped me through this terrible
week, that deserve much thanks. Miguel, Lallo, and Enorio, for their incredible
horsemanship and working together as a team to get him out of the emergent
situation. Kalli, for her ability to help me think through situations infinitum,
kindness, and long support. Stephen, for his steadfast support, which I have to say, I manage to push to every limit possible. All of my dear friends that have kept my phone lit
up with checking in, you guys are amazing. Dr. Honnas for his ever-enduring patience,
knowledge, and expertise. And a special special thanks to Dr. Alvaraz who
answered every text, every question, sent me photos, videos, fed him treats,
took him on walks, and in the end was there with him to say goodbye when I couldn’t
be.
Godspeed Caprivi.
