The top priority of most horse owners in the industry is for their horse to be in good health. Tracy Willis of Davenport Center, New York has gone immeasurable distances to assure this of her 2009 halter mare, HK New Beginning, affectionately known as Jenna. One morning in June, Tracy went out to the barn to feed the horses and to leave for a NYSQHA show in Cobleskill, New York, when she found Jenna drooling and snoring in her stall. Tracy’s first instinct was that her mare was choking, and called her vet to come immediately. When the vet arrived, they found that the mare was unable to pass a tube. Jenna was hauled off to a nearby clinic for an endoscopy scope that revealed she had a completely collapsed airway.
Then, Jenna was taken to Cornell University, nearly two and half hours from Tracy’s farm, where an emergency tracheotomy was preformed. A week had passed with the mare heavily relying on the tracheal tube for help breathing; meanwhile, Cornell University hadn’t determined a diagnosis and sent the mare home. Over the next month, Tracy did whatever it took to nurse her mare back to good health; even if that meant cleaning and changing Jenna’s tracheal tube one to two times daily, and that’s just what she did. Seeing very little improvement over a month’s span, Jenna’s veterinarians determined it was time to have a permanent tracheal tube implanted. Tracy hauled Jenna to Rhinebeck Equine to be evaluated for the procedure. Upon examination, the vets saw that the mare’s condition had improved enough so that they could see the abscess in her throat. Only days later after finding the abscess, Jenna had her tracheal tube removed and was on the road to recovery.
After examining the mare, Rhinebeck Equine found what they believe to have caused Jenna’s airway to collapse. The doctors suggested that Jenna might have swallowed a twig or thistle that scratched her throat and abscessed causing an infection. The major swelling in the mare’s throat caused her pharynx to collapse, resulting in all the complications. Dr. Rachel Fraser of Leatherstocking Veterinary Services in New Berlin, New York is credited to saving the beloved mare’s life.
During the month and a half while traveling to different clinics, Tracy never once felt she was battling Jenna’s illness alone. Once the pair had arrived at Cornell University, Tracy shared Jenna’s story on her farm Facebook page, Charlotte Creek Stables, and received an outpouring of support, as friends encouraged her to set up a fundraising page. Tracy began to sell her show clothes and tack to help pay for Jenna’s vet bills. “I really couldn’t believe that so many strangers would come together through Facebook and donate to help save her. It truly amazed me how incredible horse people are,” said Tracy. Willis says that she feels like Jenna is a local celebrity in Davenport Center, New York, due to having frequent visitors at the farm to check on the mare.
Jenna’s illness was so prolonged that Tracy didn’t know if she’d ever be able to show her again. Today, the mare is fully recovered, and has the approval from her veterinarians to start showing again. Last year, the duo qualified for the AQHA Novice Championship Show, and now they are headed to Murfreesboro, Tennessee the beginning of October. The pair will be competing in the Novice Amateur Aged Mares. Tracy is still selling horse show tack and other supplies, as well as looking for horse transportation jobs along her route to Murfreesboro, to help pay for expenses as the pair journeys to the show next month.
“Being able to show Jenna again is nothing short of a miracle,” Tracy says. “No matter what happens next, I know we’re already winners.”
GoHorseShow wishes Tracy and Jenna the best of luck at the AQHA Novice Championship Show!
Photos © Eric Hardesty and Candid Canine Photography
