Judy Bonham Horse Accident Fund
Donation protected
Hello everyone out there looking to help someone.
This is the story of my worst nightmare.
Judy came out to my ranch for her Granddaughter's weekly lesson this last Friday. I found out last minute that it was also her 65th birthday! Judy and her husband Jack have been dedicated clients and became close friends over the last several years of lessons with their grandkids. They even threw a work day party at my ranch and brought all their friends to help me with the huge project of staining the corrals, decks, and garage last summer! I wanted to do something special for her and decided that I would bring Judy on today's trail lesson with her Granddaughter to celebrate her big day in style!
Everything was going great until suddenly it wasnt. We were about a 1/4 mile from the ranch when I stopped my horse to look behind and her Granddaughter's horse walked right around me and took the lead. He knew we were close to home. That might have been okay still if he hadn't decided to break into a jog after a couple strides out front. Her 6 year old Granddaughter is an amazing little rider but it was too much for her and she dropped the reins to grab the horn. Her horse continued to trot down the hill in front of us with no one between her and the 1/4 mile of ground to the back gate. I turned to Judy to ask her to dismount so I could catch up to the other horse by dropping down a hill on my left into some thick timber to cut her off. In that moment, Judy's horse decided that he wanted to be with the horse up ahead and broke into a trot after him....down a hill. If anyone has ever tried to sit a trot on a horse going down a hill, it is absolutely the hardest gait to balance for a rider. Judy began to lose her balance almost immediately and I watched in horror as her center of gravity shifted to right and kept going, and going, and going until she fell off in a cloud of dust into the side of the hill on the right, rolled several times and came to stop in the trail.
When I saw she was clear of her horse I took my mare straight down the left side of the trail into the timber to cut off her Granddaughter who i could hear screaming through the trees in panic. I didnt make it in time and saw both of their horses with out riders now trotting down the trail in front of me. I jumped off my horse, and ran to her Granddaughter as fast as I could, knowing she would never forgive me if I had gone to her first. Thankfully Chloe was fine with just a couple scrapes. She had lost her balance when her horse had turned with the trail. I carried her as I ran to Judy up the hill just in case though.
Judy was starting to sit up as we got there. She had dirt and blood on her face, and was gasping for breath. I did an initial assessment of her condition and felt that it was best for her to stay put until I could get help. I called my assistant Carly and she jumped in her truck and raced out to meet us in the woods. Judy seemed stable, though slightly disoriented, and insisted she was fine, and was refusing to let me call 911 or her family. I did not feel comfortable having her stand though and was still very concerned about her shortness of breath and potential concussion even though she insisted she hadn't hit her head. When Carly arrived 10 minutes later, she began to repeat her questions and I knew she had hit her head in the fall and wasnt thinking clearly, so I made the call to 911 and began notifying her family that there had been an accident on tbe trail.
I left Carly in charge and jumped in her truck to meet them down at the main house since verbal directions would have been next to impossible to follow. I cannot express enough gratitude to those wonderful folks for getting there as fast as they did, and for the care they showed Judy as we got her loaded, and secured for transport. It was challenging to get the big ambulance through the trees and up the trail, and the driver Maquala, didnt slow for one second to save the paint.
Judy's daughters and husband were at the ranch by the time we arrived and Judy was taken directly to hospital. She had received a concussion, broken ribs and a punctured lung for her 65th birthday this year. Luckily. Thankfully. It could have been so much worse. I didnt start crying until she was on the road with family in tow. I have never been so scared in my whole life as I watched Judy, the super Grandmother, and her Granddaughter trotting away from me that day.
So, please, if you're looking for a cause pick this one. If you have a little extra to give this family in their time of need, please help. These are good people who have worked hard to provide their Granddaughters with a cowgirl foundation. Jack and Judy have always inspired me personally as to what a true partnership should be. Their family is strong, but they need help your right now if you are able.
Thank you so much for taking the time to hear Judy's story. The picture at the top was taken during that ride.
This is the story of my worst nightmare.
Judy came out to my ranch for her Granddaughter's weekly lesson this last Friday. I found out last minute that it was also her 65th birthday! Judy and her husband Jack have been dedicated clients and became close friends over the last several years of lessons with their grandkids. They even threw a work day party at my ranch and brought all their friends to help me with the huge project of staining the corrals, decks, and garage last summer! I wanted to do something special for her and decided that I would bring Judy on today's trail lesson with her Granddaughter to celebrate her big day in style!
Everything was going great until suddenly it wasnt. We were about a 1/4 mile from the ranch when I stopped my horse to look behind and her Granddaughter's horse walked right around me and took the lead. He knew we were close to home. That might have been okay still if he hadn't decided to break into a jog after a couple strides out front. Her 6 year old Granddaughter is an amazing little rider but it was too much for her and she dropped the reins to grab the horn. Her horse continued to trot down the hill in front of us with no one between her and the 1/4 mile of ground to the back gate. I turned to Judy to ask her to dismount so I could catch up to the other horse by dropping down a hill on my left into some thick timber to cut her off. In that moment, Judy's horse decided that he wanted to be with the horse up ahead and broke into a trot after him....down a hill. If anyone has ever tried to sit a trot on a horse going down a hill, it is absolutely the hardest gait to balance for a rider. Judy began to lose her balance almost immediately and I watched in horror as her center of gravity shifted to right and kept going, and going, and going until she fell off in a cloud of dust into the side of the hill on the right, rolled several times and came to stop in the trail.
When I saw she was clear of her horse I took my mare straight down the left side of the trail into the timber to cut off her Granddaughter who i could hear screaming through the trees in panic. I didnt make it in time and saw both of their horses with out riders now trotting down the trail in front of me. I jumped off my horse, and ran to her Granddaughter as fast as I could, knowing she would never forgive me if I had gone to her first. Thankfully Chloe was fine with just a couple scrapes. She had lost her balance when her horse had turned with the trail. I carried her as I ran to Judy up the hill just in case though.
Judy was starting to sit up as we got there. She had dirt and blood on her face, and was gasping for breath. I did an initial assessment of her condition and felt that it was best for her to stay put until I could get help. I called my assistant Carly and she jumped in her truck and raced out to meet us in the woods. Judy seemed stable, though slightly disoriented, and insisted she was fine, and was refusing to let me call 911 or her family. I did not feel comfortable having her stand though and was still very concerned about her shortness of breath and potential concussion even though she insisted she hadn't hit her head. When Carly arrived 10 minutes later, she began to repeat her questions and I knew she had hit her head in the fall and wasnt thinking clearly, so I made the call to 911 and began notifying her family that there had been an accident on tbe trail.
I left Carly in charge and jumped in her truck to meet them down at the main house since verbal directions would have been next to impossible to follow. I cannot express enough gratitude to those wonderful folks for getting there as fast as they did, and for the care they showed Judy as we got her loaded, and secured for transport. It was challenging to get the big ambulance through the trees and up the trail, and the driver Maquala, didnt slow for one second to save the paint.
Judy's daughters and husband were at the ranch by the time we arrived and Judy was taken directly to hospital. She had received a concussion, broken ribs and a punctured lung for her 65th birthday this year. Luckily. Thankfully. It could have been so much worse. I didnt start crying until she was on the road with family in tow. I have never been so scared in my whole life as I watched Judy, the super Grandmother, and her Granddaughter trotting away from me that day.
So, please, if you're looking for a cause pick this one. If you have a little extra to give this family in their time of need, please help. These are good people who have worked hard to provide their Granddaughters with a cowgirl foundation. Jack and Judy have always inspired me personally as to what a true partnership should be. Their family is strong, but they need help your right now if you are able.
Thank you so much for taking the time to hear Judy's story. The picture at the top was taken during that ride.
Organizer
Tana Jane Getz
Organizer
Hamilton, MT
