Courtney was injured when a young horse she was training in Loxahatchee, Fla., fell with her on March 3. She wasn't wearing a helmet, and still doesn't know why, noting that she generally strapped one on when she was riding a young horse.
It was the ultimate insult over the course of a difficult 18 months for Courtney. Mythilus, her Olympic mount, was disqualified from the Games due to a positive test for a prohibited substance. No one could ever figure out how the substance, which showed up as a tiny trace, got into his system.
A year later, he was gone, as complications from a colic surgery ended his life. Ten days after that, Courtney's promising mount, Rendezvous 3, broke her pastern in a pasture accident and had to be put down.
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- Courtney King-Dye and her late Olympic mount, Mythilus
- © 2008 by Nancy Jaffer
During the time she was in a coma, when she had what she called "funny dreams," Courtney saw Myth and Rendezvous playing together in a field. When she emerged from the coma, she thought both horses were alive. Then she had to go through the pain all over again when she was told they were gone.
Courtney spoke wistfully about Myth, saying how much she misses him, "because of his heart, he always tried, even though he was very hard to ride. He was so honest and so good," she sighed.
If there is any silver lining to Courtney's accident, it has been an emphatic warning for dressage riders, many of whom trained in baseball caps and then switched to top hats for upper-level competitions, eschewing the protection afforded by a helmet. While helmets are mandatory for hunter/jumper riders at shows, dressage riders often felt that since they aren't jumping, they don't need protective headgear.
"You can't train a horse not to fall down, no matter how good you are," Courtney pointed out.
In the wake of her mishap, more and more dressage riders are wearing helmets, even in top-level competition. The riders4helmets organization, inspired by her misfortune, is a proactive force to spread the word about safety and encourage it. The group is sponsoring National Helmet Awareness Day on July 10.
Safety initiatives also have had a fundraising component to help with Courtney's medical expenses. She and her husband have been awed and grateful for all the support she has received.
"I really appreciate all the care and love, monetary as well as emotional," she said as her eyes swept over the cheery and heartfelt greetings on display all around her.
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- Courtney and her mentor, Lendon Gray, after an exhibition during Dressage at Devon in 2008
- © 2008 by Nancy Jaffer
Her family and Lendon have given her strength, and she feels closer than ever to her loved ones as a result. Their help has been an essential component of her continuing recovery.
It also has been fueled by dreams and goals, important components of her past success, and she is counting on being able to realize them again.
"I don't know how long it takes, but I will get there," she promised me before we parted.
"I want to make the 2012 Olympics. I will work hard. If it doesn't happen, I can't blame it on not working hard. It's all I can do."
Award-winning equestrian journalist Nancy Jaffer has covered eight Olympic Games, all five World Equestrian Games and numerous other major international equestrian events.
