On August 20, Jonelle suffered a serious fall from a horse while at HITS Culpeper and was airlifted to Inova Fairfax, a Level 1 Trauma Center. She is currently in the ICU with a collapsed lung, a broken scapula, and seven broken ribs. Several of her ribs were broken in multiple places, and one is severely displaced. She will require surgery to stabilize the injury with a plate so the ribs can properly align and heal. For someone whose livelihood depends on being healthy, active, and in the saddle, the road ahead will be challenging.

Jonelle is expected to be unable to work in her normal capacity for months, creating an enormous and unexpected financial burden at a time when her focus needs to be on healing. In addition to lost income, Jonelle will face significant medical expenses, including deductibles, co-pays, co-insurance, and the cost of the emergency air ambulance. She will also need to hire additional help to ride, train, and care for the horses in her program while she recovers.

Jonelle needs our help! Jonelle has spent decades in the horse industry and has always been one of the first people to step forward and lend a hand when someone else needed help. Now it’s our turn to do the same for her. We are asking Jonelle’s friends, clients, fellow horsemen and women, and everyone whose life she has touched to rally around her during her recovery. Every contribution, no matter the amount, will help ease the financial pressure and allow Jonelle to concentrate on what matters most right now: healing. If you are unable to contribute, sharing this campaign with others in the horse community would mean just as much. Thank you for showing Jonelle how much she is loved and supported. We can’t wait to see her healthy, strong, and back in the saddle.