WOUND CARE
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Photo by Shannon Brinkman
Lafite, aka Flip Flop, and his rider/owner
Liza Horan were having a great round at Fair Hill International when an accident mid-course led to potentially career- or even life-threatening injuries for the 12-year-old warmblood gelding. “The jump was pretty straightforward, and I thought I had a good shot as far as my approach and distance. It seemed that Flip Flop would jump it quite easily. But when he started to leave the ground, he grabbed his left front shoe in a way that felt like it nailed his leg to the floor,” explained Ms. Horan, who trains at Ironwood Ranch in Lompoc, Calif., and made the trip with 3 horses to Maryland for the October 2019 event. “His front leg didn’t come off the ground, and he hit the rail of the jump really hard. He went almost vertical with his hind legs and made a heroic effort not to fall down.” Although the horse succeeded in not falling, Ms. Horan was unseated during the accident. Medics attended to her, while Flip Flop galloped away, seemingly unphased. “He didn’t appear frantic when he took off,” Horan explained. “But I realize now he was a bit spooked by my fall—I'd never fallen from him.” After medics cleared her, Ms. Horan went looking for her horse, who had gotten off course. When horse and rider were reconnected later in the stables, “he looked like he’d been hit by a semi-truck,” Horan said. “He had multiple wounds and lacerations inconsistent with the accident. A few people saw him on the Fair Hill grounds—we know at 1 point he was in the parking lot and hit a parked car—but we don’t have a full picture of those minutes after the accident.” Flip Flop needed immediate medical attention, leaving no time for Ms. Horan to retrace his steps. Bernadette K. L. Smith, DVM, MS, an associate at Equine Veterinary Care at Fair Hill Training Center examined him 10
Issue 6/2020 | ModernEquineVet.com
Rider Liza Horan and her horse Flip Flop had a mysterious accident at Fair Hill International. Liza walked away unharmed. Flip Flop suffered injuries while fleeing the course.
