Henry Jota Hampton, an upper-level event horse ridden by Australian Peter Atkins, underwent colic surgery at the New England Equine Surgical and Medical Center for an entrapment of the small colon on Dec. 11. He was still at the clinic in Dover, N.H., as of Dec. 14 but is expected to make a complete recovery.
“The barn manager lives above the barn, so luckily we caught it really quickly,” said Atkins. “The vet was out in less than half an hour, and then we got him to the clinic right away.”
HJ Hampton, a 9-year-old Argentinean-bred Selle Francais gelding (HJ Carapalida—Napoi Honorable), finished 24th at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games and 23rd at the 2010 Rolex Kentucky CCI**** with Atkins. The pair gained a fan following after Atkins posted helmet camera videos of his advanced-level rides aboard “Henry.”
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“He’s looking very bright and very happy,” said Atkins of Ocala, Fla., and Woodstock, Vt. “They said he’s recovering as well as any horse ever does.”
HJ Hampton is currently involved in an ownership dispute between Atkins and Linda Martin, but neither party wished to comment on the situation at press time.
