plicably lame; Callan rushed her to the MidAtlantic Equine Veterinary Services in Ringoes, New Jersey where the Rhinelander mare ultimately spent nearly two months in intensive care. Veterinarians never were able to determine what caused Allison to founder. “She foundered in all four feet and they had no idea


why—it was the same as [Meredith Michaels Beerbaum’s horse] Shutterfly,” Callan explains. “It was basically the consequence of the collapse of her system. She just wasn’t herself, and I feel so lucky I got her to the clinic quickly. Dr. Belgrave was her vet at MidAtlantic. He and everybody there took the best care of her. They knew what a special horse she is—but I have to say, Allison has a way of making sure people take care of her. She whinnies or knickers and makes herself very clear!” While Callan knew that MidAtlantic was a top notch


facility, she still wanted to make sure that they understood how special Allison was. Despite the distance, Callan drove an hour and a half each way, every day for the five weeks that Allison was undergoing treatment. Callan explains that the treatment included a lot of icing, pads on Allison’s feet to prevent rotation of the coffin bone, along with anti- inflammatory medication and antioxidants. “They were able to save her and I was just so glad and


thankful,” she says. Callan need not have worried; the staff at MidAtlantic


did realize just how special Allison was. The mare had quite a fan club. They printed photos from the internet and posted them on the front of her stall, and Callan remembers showing up one day and meeting an intern who had just started working at the clinic who asked, “Is that the Allison?”


Surprising Recovery When Allison came home, Callan took things one day at a


time. First she gave the mare some down time, but then she wanted to at least get her fit enough for turnout. “When I could start working her again I did it with the


idea that we’d just see…” remembers Callan. “I wanted to see how she’d come back; I was just so happy she was alive! She was always wild and could really buck. I started walking her under tack for a while, then trotting, then one day she was bucking like a maniac and I knew she wanted to jump again.” Back in the show ring, Callan started Allison in a small


class at a show in Florida and discovered that Allison felt like her old self. It turned out to be her best season ever, in spite of another bump in the road.


■ Opposite page: A bittersweet moment for the pair. Callan wins the Catena Leading G.P. Rider award while Allison earns the Leading Mare Award at HITS Ocala 2010. Photo by Jessica Nemzoff


■ Right: Allison and Callan at the Devon Horse Show in 2009 before she foundered. Photo by Amy Dragoo


Warmbloods Today 15


“You have to know when to stop asking for more, to respect the gift of what they’ve given...” “Halfway through the season I was trying a horse


and broke my finger—the joint exploded and I had to fly to Nashville for surgery,” explains Callan. “Knowing that Allison would soon be retired, I didn’t want to miss showing her, so I rode her with a cast on my hand, with my finger sticking straight up, and she won. That’s the way it works with us, always: I took care of her and she took care of me. It was a little awkward but she was telling me, ‘Don’t worry, I got this one’.” In total Callan and Allison won three Grand Prix’s in


Florida in the spring of 2010. On March 23, 2010 Callan was named the winner of the Catena Leading Grand Prix Rider award after accumulating 80 points riding


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