horse with a severe neurological problem, he could not walk or turn and his eyes were in constant motion, almost spinning in his head. After a battery of tests, he remained undi- agnosed and was sent "home" to an uncertain future. The people involved wondered, "What kind of life had we saved this poor horse to have?" The late Dr. Van Snow, along with Lindsey Creed at Santa Lucia Farm, watched over him and his recovery was slow but progressing. Then his Junior owner went off to college and the task of finding a new owner had to be addressed. He went carefully back to work, slowly at first, but he began to return to his old self with his goofy personality and sense of humor and he returned to Rubicon. A new client, Laura Strasberg, had
arrived at Rubicon and was allowed to ride him on occasion. She was told his story and fell im- mediately in love with him and de- cided to buy him in spite of his history. Her con- viction to seeing him survive and thrive paid off as he returned to the ring, healthy and winning again. Then trouble hit
him too hard. Menlo Charity Horse Show only of-
fers AA Hunters, and it's in Laura and Rubicon's back yard. The decision was made for that to be the move up show. As it got closer, Laura got ap- prehensive worrying about the horse. At the back gate she looked at LesAnn and said, "I can't, I simply can't do it! I just can't go in there." LesAnn's re- sponse was a simple one...." You love this horse, he loves the show ring. Ya' know, it's not about winning, it's about enjoying him. Just go in and en- joy this time with him and enjoy this horse!" And into the ring she went, smiling and patting his neck. To wrap up this part of his story,
Laura and Houston were Adult Ama- teur Hunter Division Champion and Laura won the Classic on her other horse, Athos. The week
for a horse. When he is not showing, Houston spends most of his time back at Santa Lucia under the watch- ful eye of Lindsey Creed and the staff. He looks like a plain little brown horse, but everyone who has ever met him gets the feel for what an extraor- dinary creature he really is. His will to live has astounded even the most cynical people, they now also believe in miracles. "We are extremely proud of Lau-
ra as a rider and a horseman," says LesAnn LeClaire, her trainer. "Her willingness to do right by her horses is heartening and she is a pleasure to have as a client. It's truly a joy to work with her!" Laura, LesAnn, Dylan Harries and
the entire Rubicon staff would like to thank the following vets for going the extra mile for Houston-he would not be here without them: Dr. Russ Peterson and the Peninsula Equine staff, Dr. Ian Campbell, Dr. Andreas Macouzet and the Santa Lucia staff, Dr. Carter Judy, Dr. Mark Rick, Dr. Erin Byrne, the Alamo Pintado staff, Dr. Tim Eastman and the Stienbeck staff, and Dr. Bob Brad- ley and his Los Angeles Equine staff .... and especially the late Dr. Van Snow. A very special thanks to Lind-
again, he didn't feel right and was rushed to colic surgery a second time with almost no hope of survival. But he did survive with compli- cations, a high fever, swollen throughout his body and extremely sick. He was sent again to Santa Lucia Farm for recovery. Miracles do happen and he bounced back again!!! His return to the show ring was
sey Creed at Santa Lucia Farms for taking such excellent care of Houston and managing all of his special needs. He has become a semi permanent resident there, with time allowed for horse showing.
Thermal, 2010, in the small lower Hunter Divisions, and with the work he thrived and flourished. Champi- onships followed and Laura knew in fairness to the other competitors she had to move him back up, but she was reluctant to do the Adult Ama- teur Hunters again in fear of pushing
went well, Houston seemed to thrive on the atmosphere and actually got even healthier. But this is not only about the horse, it's also about the owner,
and the care and commitment of a
horseman...the commitment to do what is right
59 Laura,
Opposite Page Photo © Sheri Scott Photgraphy / This Page Photos © JumpShot
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