70 SIDELINES DECEMBER 2013
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
and, in the process she would likely injure herself and anyone
around her. He also warned Taylor that if Paula wasn’t showing
signs of improvement soon, she would have no choice but to let
her go. He doubted she would ever stand again – let alone walk.
The frightened, still mare was moved back to the barn with
an ATV and a slab of wood. Taylor never left her side. “I stayed
with Paula the whole day and so did my friend and my dad,” said
Taylor. “We slept over at the barn while Paula was still in the stall
and she couldn’t stand up.”
That night, at about 12:30 a.m., the little mare gathered all the
strength she had and attempted to stand – but her legs shook
violently and she fell back down shortly after. An hour later, she
stood again – and this time she stayed up.
In that moment, she proved to Taylor she could do it. Paula had
the will to survive.
A Long Struggle
Even after several weeks of improvement and daily hand
walking, the vets still didn’t foresee a positive outcome. They told
Taylor her horse too unstable, too dangerous. She was hopeless.
“She was unstable, but she wasn’t dangerous,” countered
Taylor. “You’d have to watch out walking her around, but she had
no signs of being in pain. She really just needed someone to take
the time to recover her.”
And Taylor did just that. She gave her best friend the gift of time
and patience. She even gave up horseback riding to spend more
time rehabilitating Paula. Together, they graduated from hand
walking indoors, to lunging and even being turned out outside.
Little by little, Paula was gaining her strength back. Soon, she
was galloping around the fields, enjoying the life everyone said
she couldn’t have.
Still, Paula was not 100 percent healed. “She would fall down a
bit but I still just thought she needed to get more muscle and she
would get over it,” Taylor said. “Everyone said she would be in a
stall for the rest of her life, because she was so unstable.”
And yet, Paula was now walking, trotting and cantering. She
had already beat the odds. Hopeless was not the adjective to
describe her.
Taylor also enlisted the help of a chiropractor – who lifted her
spirits and worked miracles on Paula. One day she told Taylor
something Taylor never expected to hear. She said, “I think this
horse will be able to be ridden. You just have to work at it to get
to that point.”
It’s hard for Taylor to explain just how happy that made her.
This was the same horse that everyone told her she needed to put
down – that would never walk again, let alone be ridden. “I was
just happy that my horse was still alive,” she said.
Achieving the Impossible
Six months after the accident, Taylor did the impossible. She
sat on Paula for the very first time.
As she slipped her right leg into the stirrup and Paula turned
her head to see her best friend siting there, tears rushed down
Taylor’s cheeks and she collapsed onto Paula’s neck, hugging
her tightly.
Slowly, Taylor began riding Paula more and more – building
strength, balance and stamina. Taylor admits Paula was a bit
unstable and she was crazy to keep going, but she did anyway. “I
truly believed the more I rode, the stronger she would get,” Taylor
said.
However, even she did not realize how far she and Paula would
go. “From that point on, I would just slowly sit on her some days
and just walk her around,” she said. I didn’t think it would become
a habit because I had given up riding. It wasn’t important. What
was important was Paula.”
Today, Taylor and Paula are not just walking, trotting or
cantering. They are back jumping, galloping in the field and doing
everything everyone said they would never do.
“If you really want something, you have to have determination to
move forward and not give up,” she said. “Paula’s accident taught
me that you have to keep trying no matter how hard it is.”
In the end, the young girl with an incredible spirit and the little
mare with a brave heart defied the odds. Despite everyone saying
they wouldn’t, they did. With dedication, courage and strength,
together they learned that with a little faith and a lot of love
anything is possible.
Taylor would like to thank her parents for their support. She
would especially like to thank her dad for being such a huge part
of Paula’s recovery and believing in Paula the entire time.
About the writer: Dani Moritz is a graduate of WilliamWoods University with majors
in Equine General Studies and Communications and is currently pursuing a Masters
In Strategic Leadership at Stephens College. She is assistant editor and distribution
manager for Sidelines Magazine and the proud owner of a beautiful Paint/Arabian
mare named September. She is also the 2012 American Horse Publications Student
Award winner.
Taylor and Paula are now jumping again – proving anything is
possible!
Photo courtesy of Taylor Spurgeon
Taylor and Paula sharing a moment of peace.
Photo by Wayne Spurgeon
