Life, the Devil and Crashing Dreams - Part 3

I knew the next day that Rich would be picking up the Arabian horse at the BNT's facility and heading back to Massachusetts. It was going to be a harrowing trip for poor Rich. Every bump in the road was going to be causing Brittany pain.

I knew exactly what the trip was going to be like for Brittany as well. Riding in the truck with a badly broken limb is something I've experienced. For me it was absolutely gruesome and only lasted about thirty minutes. The trip from Virginia to Massachusettes was going to be over eight hours.

Throughout the day I wondered about how the trip was going. Not knowing what time they'd planned to leave, I had no idea if the trip was over or they were still suffering on the road. All I could do was pray that all would get through this trip ok.

The next day I called and left a brief message on Rich's phone. I didn't expect to reach anyone but wanted to know I was thinking of them. I knew the first order of business would be getting Brittany help. I tried not to press them, they already had enough pressure without me bugging them for information.

Wednesday morning PST, I managed to get a hold of Rich. Brittany had come through the surgery well but was having trouble with pain management. She wouldn't be able to leave the hospital until the pain was under control and all systems working properly.

The surgery had left Brittany with a steel plate and 6 or 8 screws in her leg. There had been no damage to the cartilage or the ACL ligament. While her recovery would be painful, the doctor expected Brittany would have no residual damage such as the limp they had earlier thought. That was good news.

I think Rich said Brittany can not walk for two week. Then they expected it would be two months for the bone to heal. Once that is ok, it will be on to extensive physical therapy. The projected date for a full recovery is six months.

As I was talking to Rich, he told me that things had been decided as far as the horse was concerned. I felt a lump rise to my throat as my mind raced searching for what this might mean. Then the light bulb came on and I asked if the other Big Name Trainer had called about the video.

Rich replied that trainer had called not just once but three times. He'd even called back to see how Brittany was doing. I don't remember the exact words Rich told to me but the gist of their conversation was that Rhythm was all that I said he was.

The BNT said the horse has a gorgeous front end, he is a little out behind himself but not enough to be a problem. That could easily be worked with. There was no reason this horse could not be the one to get Brittany to her dream of a national championship. As far as Rich was concerned, Rhythm was vindicated.

Rich told me that a friend of Brittany's was going to be working the horse while Brittany recovers. The plan was to take him to an A rated Arabian show in the fall. Then to keep on working towards this dream.

Today, I got a message from Rich, the plan had again changed. Brittany isn't trusting the other Big Name Trainers evaluation. She still believes in the original trainer's analysis. So the new plan is to take him to a third trainer for yet another evaluation. That will happen sometime next week.

This has been an emotional week for Rich, Brittany and her mother. I feel like I've been on a roller coaster ride and I'm only an observer. I can only imagine what it's been like for all of them.

I wonder what it's been like for Rhythm as well. He's been months living with people who didn't believe in him and put through some real tests. Gone to a show with little preparation and worked sporadically if at all since. Then he was expected to perform under less than ideal circumstances that resulted in this injury to his owner. This horse that needs regular work and more importantly a strict routine must have some residual effects. I guess that time will tell.

Brittany came home from the hospital today. Her employer, Starbucks, is saying they will step up and see that her medical coverage takes care of things, even though she hasn't worked the hours required for coverage. After Ann's comments about Massachusetts mandatory health coverage, I'm wondering if maybe Starbucks is covering their _ss.........but who cares as long as they come through and take care of these bills.

Rich is torn between loyalty to his daughter and loyalty to a horse he has grown to love. Each time I speak with him I worry about his bad heart and what all this is doing to him. I hope things settle down soon, I don't know how much more the man can take.

As for what will happen with Rhythm, I guess only time will tell. If it were up to Rich, I think there would be no question. But that black mark applied by a BNT with little integrity seems to carry more weight than makes sense to me. I still can't believe how dramatically things have changed in a year. At least for now, Rhythm is home.

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