NEWS RELEASE
TOP OF THE HILL FARM
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Chelsea McGee could not contain her emotions when she exited the ring at the Essa Agriplex on her horse, The Rum Runner, after the two were crowned champions in the .75 Metre Jumpers.
“When they called us for Champion I could not keep it together,” said McGee. “I had tears running down my face. Knowing how I felt last year waiting for him to come out of surgery, and how hard the rehab was, I could not believe it. He won!”
A year ago, the 13-year-old thoroughbred gelding suffered a serous head injury in his paddock that left him partially blind in his left eye.
“Capp (his barn name) came in from the field with his eye a little swollen, like he had knocked it on something,” McGee remembers. “The vet told us he has an ulcer on his left eye. Despite our best efforts it wasn’t getting better.”
When Capp spiked a fever, McGee made the decision to ship her horse to the University of Guelph Large Animal Hospital. “It was the hardest drive of my life. Capp is my everything,” McGee said choking back a tear.
By the time they got to the hospital, Capp’s face was drooping, like a stroke would cause, so he underwent a major surgery to save his eye.
“I remember sitting in the waiting room while he had his surgery. I was numb to everything except his surgeon walking through the door to tell me it was a success,” McGee recalls.
Capp had to stay in the hospital for three weeks. It was very hard on the retired race horse who lost weight and a lot of muscle.
After leaving the hospital he also required around the clock care. McGee says she had a challenging time finding a farm that could provide him with this kind of attention, and that was also close to her Barrie home.
“I was so grateful when I called Top of the Hill Farm outside of Orillia, and they weren’t afraid of his injury. They were confident they could handle the strict schedule he needed to get better,” says McGee.
The farm’s manager, Lesley Dixon, set her clock and every six hours she administered his medication through a tube that went behind his eye. Day by day Capp began to get better.
The rehab was hard for both McGee and Capp, as they had to learn to work together with his disability.
“He is not an easy horse to start with, but we had more good days than bad. He likes it when things are right, if they aren’t you hear about it,” chuckles McGee.
She said every time she went to the farm to work with him, he wanted to do more and more. Her desire to return to the show ring with him seemed like a far away dream, until this past weekend.
“I woke up Sunday morning knowing what day it was, I had no idea how the show was going to go,” says McGee. The answer; really well! The pair came in second place in the first class of the division against 14 other competitors.
“He walked into that ring to win. Everyone could see it.”
A first place in the second class, and a 6th in the last, secured them the overall Grand Champion ribbon. McGee says the day would not have been possible without the support from her “barn family”.
“I am so overwhelmed by the love and help I got from my Top of the Hill family. I could not have made this comeback without every single person at the farm, especially Lesley,” McGee said with, once again, tears streaming down her face.
The farm’s head coach Erin Amos added: “It is been such a long, hard road for Capp and Chelsea, with lots of ups and downs, so I am really proud of their performance. They deserved every bit of this win.”
McGee also tied for Reserve Champion at the show in the Hack Division, riding Daniella McLean’s horse, Eighth Wonder of the World. The pair have been competing all year together and currently sit in the top spot over all in the Georgian Bay Trillium Hunter/Jumper zone for the division.
She wasn’t the only rider from the farm to win last weekend at the 2 Stride Trillium Show.
Cameron Edwards also came in Reserve Champion riding Eighth Wonder of the World in the Development Hunter Division. Edwards also picked up the reserve overall ribbon in the Training Hunters riding Amos’ young mare, Wanabi Famous.
Eight-year-old Taylor Macdonald took home the championship title in the Short Stirrup Hunter Division, for the second show in a row. She also got 2nd place in the My First Medal class.
Jenny Bodera won the gold medal for the Modified Adult Medal, while Kenzie Raybold got the silver medal in the “A” Equitation on the Flat.
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