As we approach this year's season of giving thanks, I am especially grateful for those in the veterinary profession, the dedicated racing connections who stand by their horses for life, and the amazing Thoroughbreds who teach us what really matters.
My mare, Sadie's Magic (Street Magician), has taken me on many adventures and taught me a tremendous amount as a rider. What I did not expect were the lessons that she would teach me out of the saddle: lessons in resilience, perseverance, and the perspective on life that would follow after Sadie's unexpected cancer diagnosis and resulting treatment journey.
Having earned the nickname “Sensible Sadie” early in life due to her intelligent, kind nature, Sadie was enabled through these characteristics to quickly succeed in a second career. Sadie has always been game to try whatever discipline we throw at her. She's a true example of the versatility and heart of the Thoroughbred and the reason Thoroughbreds will always be my favorite breed. Following her retirement from racing in 2019, Sadie's adventures have spanned from competing at the Retired Racehorse Project's Thoroughbred Makeover in hunters and jumpers, the Real Rider Cup, hunter derbies, dressage, foxhunting, beach rides, to many happy miles on the trails of New Jersey. In late 2022, we began to dabble in eventing, which seemed to be Sadie's “thing.” After winning her first schooling horse trial, we hoped to continue to explore this new discipline in the future.
Our competitive dreams were halted when a small, seemingly innocuous bump presented on Sadie's forehead. Fortunately, Sadie was outwardly unaffected and my husband and I thought we might be overreacting in reaching out to her vet, figuring she had likely just bumped her head in the field (horses, you know?) What started with a text to Sadie's primary veterinarian, Dr. Stefanie DeNoia, prefaced with “I'm probably overreacting, but…[,]” led to a medical journey resulting in Sadie being diagnosed with a rare sarcoma cancer.
We are forever grateful for the diligence and dedication of Sadie's veterinarians for making this diagnosis. Without them, Sadie would never have been given the chance to fight this and would potentially not be with us today. It truly took a village to determine the best plan for Sadie. I don't know where we would be if not for the thoroughness of Dr. DeNoia in taking our concerns seriously and taking the initial ultrasound, the brilliance of Dr. Jennifer Smith at New Jersey Equine Clinic for obtaining a biopsy and ultimately catching this rare cancer, as well as Dr. David Levine of the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center in taking Sadie's CT-scan and providing critical input needed to assess treatment options.
Following her diagnosis, we quickly began exploring the options with the support of Sadie's team. Unfortunately, Sadie's prognosis without treatment was grim, and a difficult decision had to be made: either allow her to live out whatever time she had left (a heartbreaking proposition looking at this otherwise healthy young horse), or take a risk and pursue treatment with the hope, but by no means guarantee, that treatment would be successful.
We accepted that her athletic career may be over and decided that if she could continue to enjoy a good quality of life, however long that may be, that was a win for us. After all, these incredible animals give us so much more than just the time spent in the saddle. I do not wish a decision like this on any horse owner and would never fault anyone for choosing not to pursue treatment. However, in this circumstance, after extensive deliberation, taking into consideration Sadie's temperament, age, and overall health, we chose to take a leap of faith and go all in on fighting this.
Following numerous consultations, we were informed that the only option for Sadie's particular cancer was radiation therapy. This already overwhelming proposition was made even more complex by the fact that very few equine hospitals in the United States offer such therapy. The best option for Sadie was Auburn University's JT Vaughn Large Animal Teaching Hospital – an approximately 900-mile, 14-hour trip from our farm in New Jersey.
So began the logistical challenge of coordinating Sadie's trip to Alabama for her month-long stay. Taking on this adventure in our two-horse bumper-pull trailer was less than ideal and finding shipping from New Jersey to Alabama proved challenging. Enter Sadie's breeder, Erika Neuberg of Nearaway Farm, who graciously offered her horse trailer, allowing Sadie to make the trip in a box stall. This act of kindness enabled us to make the long trip to Alabama for Sadie to receive treatment.
Throughout her treatment, during which she was placed under general anesthesia 10 times, Sadie exhibited the same sensible nature and grit that she did on the track and in her second career. Sadie completed her treatment at Auburn on October 16, 2023. Her incredible team of oncologists and veterinarians even held a graduation ceremony for her, complete with a cap and diploma. It's hard to put into words how grateful I am to the team at Auburn–including but not limited to, Dr. Gregory Almond, Dr. Larissa Pinheiro Muller e Castro, Dr. Lindsey Boone, Dr. Kira Noordwijk, Dr. Kayla Peck, as well as the wonderful veterinary students and staff at Auburn–for their kindness, dedication, and unwavering support through the very challenging time during Sadie's treatment.
Sadie continues to defy the odds, constantly exhibiting her resilience and grit throughout her first year post-treatment. We found our expectations once again surpassed when she was cleared to return to work following her post-treatment CT-scans. Her return has been slow and gradual with lots of walking to rebuild her fitness. Throughout her return to work, Sadie continued to show that she was game for more.
This culminated in her return to competition this September at the Stone Tavern Schooling Horse Trial at the Horse Park of New Jersey. Sadie picked up where she left off and completed all three phases of the starter division, finishing on her dressage score. After thinking we would lose Sadie last year, I never imagined she would trot down the center line ever again, and cried happy tears after every phase. Moving forward, we will continue to take things day by day and let Sadie tell us what she wants to do. She owes us nothing and we owe her so much.
As we enter the holiday season, it's a perfect time to reflect on our past year and be thankful for everything everyone has done for Sadie. I could not be more grateful for the incredible team of veterinarians who have given me the gift of more time with my mare, and all those who supported her in this journey. Without them, we would not be where we are today.
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