"Jersey Winner is a remarkable horse. He has touched the lives of so many that know him. Whether as an inspiration, a teacher, or a best friend, this horse has done more and is more than you could ever imagine."
To owner Brian Keir, he is a best friend. He is a horse that listens when times are tough, and has a sense of humor when he thinks we all need to lighten up. He is a brilliant athlete, and a brilliant performer.
Jersey Winner is a barrel racer at heart. Bred for the Quarter Horse race track, the desire to run is a huge part of him. His desire to please and win is even stronger. After a short career at the track, Jersey was purchased for a future barrel racing career. The horse was tough. He had his own style of running, and trainers tried to change him, but soon gave up and sold him on.
Brian and Jersey met at an interesting part in both of their lives. Both changing paths, both a little lost. Jersey and Brian trained and prepared for competition in Barrel Racing, and other Western Events. The next several years were spent traveling to shows all summer long, winning title after title.
This past September (2007), tragedy fell upon Jersey. Only 2 days after winning first place in over 150 horses at the Western Fair in London, Jersey was paralyzed. The phone call came at 10:30pm from the barn owner at the stable in Mount Albert. Brian and I (Claire) rushed to the stables with the worst thoughts possible going through our minds.
We arrived at the stable to find Jersey in the arena lying flat out, and very stiff. He looked like he was dead. His legs were very stiff to flex, and he wasn’t responding to anything. The vet had arrived before us, and had administered several drugs to try and help the situation. Everyone was scratching their heads….was it colic, and the horse just had a strange response? Was it neurological? WNV? EHV? The vet discussed the possibility of euthanizing the horse, but Brian knew in his heart it wasn’t time. Within a couple hours of him initially going down, miraculously Jersey lifted his head. Brian left the arena for only a moment, and Jersey tried to get up! He fell. Within another hour, Jersey tried to stand again, and this time, he stayed on his feet. He was extremely ataxic and you could see him struggling to balance. We brought him some hay and water, and he made the effort to eat and have a drink. It was remarkable! Not long after, Jersey tried to come over to see us, and fell again. It was heartbreaking to watch. At this point, we had made arrangements to get him to Guelph, if he could make the trailer ride. By 9am the next morning, Jersey was up and somewhat stable considering his condition. We managed, with the help of Craig Widdifield, to get Jersey loaded up on Brian’s trailer. I drove the rig on the two hour journey to the Ontario Veterinary College in Guelph, with Brian riding in the back with his best friend.
Upon arrival at the clinic, Dr. Baird and several students came out to see Jersey. Unloading was difficult, but Jersey stayed on his feet. We took him inside, with the following of students, and a camera crew to document the condition of the horse. They got him settled into a stall, and shortly after put him in the sling to prevent him from falling and further injury. Dr. Baird’s first concerns were neurological diseases. After several days of testing, with no findings, they were stumped. Jersey’s condition had not improved.
Three days after arrival, Brian asked them to look into his neck. The horse had always had a stiff neck, which is why his original trainers passed on him as a 4 year old. They took radiographs of the vertebrae in his neck, and found a huge amount of arthritis and deterioration. The x-rays were reviewed by the neurology specialist, and her theory was that somehow, due to the calcification and changes in his neck, his spinal cord had sustained temporary blood loss or had been temporarily compressed by these vertebrae. It could have been something as simple as him reaching down to graze, and moved the wrong way. Was he going to recover? And if he did, would he have a good quality of life?
Two weeks after Jersey Winner’s arrival at Guelph, we had made plans to bring him home. All of the Students and Vets at the OVC came to wish him the best when we picked him up. He had acquired the name ‘Sling Boy’ among the caregivers there, and everyone saved him the banana from their lunches…his favorite treat.
We set up a stall here at Braecrest that would be able to accommodate the sling and be a pleasant place for him to hopefully recover. There was a large sliding door to the outside backing the stall, so he could have fresh air, sunlight, and see the other horses. With the help of an escort from Guelph, we were able to get Jersey off the trailer, and settled in his new stall. You could see the journey was difficult and tiring for him.
3 weeks after his arrival here, Brian began hand walking him in the arena. It was a difficult task, taking him out of the sling, and getting him safely in the arena. 3 weeks after that, we let him loose in there. In the 6 weeks he had been at Braecrest, he had re-learned how to move his body. He learned where to move his legs and when, so he didn’t fall. He learned to roll, and get up again, and we even started to see him jog!
It’s now 6 months after initial injury, and Jersey Winner is truly a winner. He is on full turn out now, is his usual demanding self for treats and attention, and has that little glint back in his eye. He is still an awkward moving horse, some describe as a ‘happy drunk’, but he has a very good quality of life, and has many friends and supporters around him. Perhaps one day he’ll be able to enjoy a nice trail ride with his best friend Brian once again…..
