Sandy post., May 25, 1978, Page 13, Image 13

14— «AMOY (Or«.) POST Thun . Moy 25. W?S (Soc. I)
‘Game’ competitor nurses horse
When young Jeannie Butts’
prize horse tangled in barb
wires, rolled into the fam ily
creek and landed upside
down one fateful day in
F eb rua ry, he went into
shock -
The fa m ily
got
the
strapping gelding Shilo back
onto his weakened feet and
slowly moved him into his
stall for treatment.
When Jeannie returned
home to find what happened
to her horse, she—too—went
into shock.
It was her third horse to go
lame, which is a problem if
your goal is to represent
Western
Horsemen
of
Oregon (WHO) in interstate
competition.
Luckily, the Sandy-Union
High School junior had a lot
of patience, self-taught
v e te rin a ry know-how and
help from an understanding
family.
Treatment called for five
ice packs daily, IV ’s for a
subsequent gutteral pouch
infection and regular ban­
dage changes on the 3-year-
old’s hind legs.
Jeannie
and
fa m ily
snapped
the
running
thoroughbred out of it in just
a week with a lot of hand
w alking
exercised
to
strengthen those legs. The
ace bandages remain an
almost daily chore.
The reunited team of Shilo
and Jeannie are now loping
and galloping to fu rth e r
strengthen legs for a return
to barrel racing, flag ben­
ding, key hole, flag races,
and relay races in a couple
more months.
The injury left Shilo with
some m uscle regression
which exercise is curing, but
“ he rem em bered a ll his
training,’* Jeannie said.
Jeannie and sister Mitcie
compete in gaming in WHO
events held nearly every
Sunday for 100 or so riders in
places like Canby, Roseburg,
and Mt. Hood Stables.
The sis te rs ’ 40-member
Sandy Road Runners Club
attends tune-up playdays
locally, too, and w ill sponsor
one June 17 next door to the
B utts'
home
fie ld
on
Southeast 362nd
The 10 best riders in each
d ivision of WHO events
collect season points to
qualify them for invitation as
Oregon representatives in
in te r s ta te
c o m p e titio n
against the best riders from
Washington State.
Sandy Road Runner and
B u tts’ neighbor Oalene
Hadley, 15, hopes to qualify
fo r in te rs ta te com petition
Labor Day weekend in
Centralia in A level.
“ Getting on top is tough,”
says mother Kathleen Butts,
and the trick is to stay up
there.”
The top horse for years in
WHO competition has been a
23-year-old Eugene horse
who continually broke his
own records before recent
retirement.
K
Becomes a Vet
Lucky for iujured Shilo,
Jeannie knew something
about veterinary medicine
from 4-H study and “ all the
material I could get sent to
me through the m ail.”
Now she even considers
going to school to become a
full-fledged vet.
Still when she changes her
horse’s bandages, "he can
always tell what I have in
mind and hides in the corner
of the sta ll.’’
But the prospects look
bright now and the spring
grass never greener fo r
Jeannie and Shilo.
“ He loves to run,” she
smiled.
¿«A M
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Hard just to watch
“ I t ’s kind of hard going to a
horse show and watching all
your friends ride while you
just help," Jeannie said.
Sill, the accident may have
had a benefit, too, with a
stronger bond of trust bet­
ween horse and rider, since
Jeannie has nursed the sleek
black horse back to health.
“ He’s sort of more ‘human’
now,
explains
m other
Kathleen Butts.
Soon Jeannie w ill teach her
quarterhorse-thoroughbred
to jump, compete in team
events and run scurry (a
series of three two-foot high
jumps some 30 feet apart).
The
154-hands
high
gelding is just a little young
fo r that, but w ith the
borrowed tim e Jeannie’s
nursing has bought him, the
whole dream seems possible
now.
FLAG RACING is a specialty of Shilo and award*
winning competitor Jeannie Butts.
(Post photo)
Story & Photos by
Von Braschler
BANDAGES FOR Shilo are changed twice weekly by
Jeannie (kneeling) and mother Kathleen, plus anyone
else in the family who can lend a hand.
(Post photo)
CURRY TIME for the recuperating horse Shilo is a
daily pleasure for owner Jeannie Butts who nursed him
back to health to resume competition.
(Post photo)
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