Raeford, N.C.—March 23

Two years ago Will Faudree thought Caeleste’s eventing career was over.

The now 11-year-old Holsteiner mare had finished 10th in her first CCI*** at Jersey Fresh (New Jersey) and was gearing up for the fall season when she incurred what Faudree and his veterinarians thought was a career-ending injury.

“She bowed both front tendons, but it was very bizarre because there was no profile,” he explained. “It was pretty catastrophic looking. Every vet was like, ‘There’s no way.’ Was it a genetic breakdown? She basically had soft tissue damage up front. It didn’t make sense. Looking at the images, there was no way she could come back.”

But “Mouse” has made a remarkable recovery with the help of Faudree’s veterinary team, and she’s back this weekend at the Cloud 11-Gavilan North LLC Carolina International and leading the CIC** after show jumping.

Photo by Lindsay Berreth.

After Mouse was injured in 2016, Faudree and her owner Jennifer Mosing decided to breed the mare, sending her to Joanie Morris’ and Richard Picken’s Four Schools Farm in Kentucky, but she wouldn’t take.

Faudree believes Mouse knew she wasn’t done competing and wasn’t ready for the broodmare life. After lengthy discussion and diagnostics with Meghann Lustgarten, DVM, of Friendship Mobile Vet Imaging and consultation with Lynn Gomes, DVM, of Performance Equine and U.S. team veterinarian Susan Johns, DVM, Faudree decided to give eventing a go again.

“[Joanie and Richard] did a great job with her overall care,” he said. “She came back to me looking like a million bucks. We reassessed where we were and put a plan in motion for getting her back. She’s been so happy to be back.”

Faudree competed Mouse at the Carolina Horse Park two weeks ago for the first time and won a preliminary division.

“When I cross-country schooled her at first I was so scared to jump anything,” he said. “She hadn’t seen a skinny [for a long time], and she didn’t miss a beat. She was so happy to be back. She’s such a fierce competitor. We joke around in the barn and call her Katniss Everdeen because she is a girl on fire. She warmed up today and was jumping everything great. My coach Bobby Costello said, ‘All right, go in there, think of your position.’ She goes down to the first jump, and she’s miles over. I don’t think she even rubbed anything.”

Faudree said he’s changed his program in recent years, and the addition of Lustgarten has been a positive one.

Photo by Lindsay Berreth.

“It takes a team of vets to look after top horses,” he said. “She’s been a great person. I did make some changes to my program on a lot of different levels, but I said to Meghann, ‘You’re driving my vet bus.’ She’s like, ‘I’m not that good of a driver!’ She’s been a rock. Every time I get to get on [Mouse] I don’t think it’s the last time because she keeps stepping up to the plate. It’s just a bonus to have her back, especially after losing [four-star partner] Andromaque last autumn. I have a very good partnership with that mare.”

Faudree said he learned a valuable lesson from Mouse’s saga—time is the best thing.

“We all as competitors get in such a hurry with all the modern technology—the lasering and the PRPing and the ProStriding. It’s like, ah this one can be back in six months,” he said. “I think back to when Andromaque had her first injury. Had I given her a year, would I have had a longer career with her? But it was 2011 when she got hurt the first time, and I was hell bent on making the [2012] London Olympic team. I was the reserve. Great. I think it’s a valuable lesson that you’ve got to give the horses time. Then you can hopefully have a long career with them. For me the most important thing with my horses is the partnership I develop with them. I was lucky with Andromaque that I was able to bring her back and do some things.”

Faudree says that no matter what happens tomorrow on cross-country, he’s grateful to have Mouse back and happy.

Watch Faudree and Caeleste’s show jumping round via EQSportsNet.

“It was pretty fun to go in there today,” he said. “She gets so strong, but I know that no matter how strong she gets or how deep enough under it she gets, she has got so much scope. Tomorrow’s a clean slate. We’ll come out and do our best and see where we’re at.

“I’m skeptical to say what’s next,” he continued. “Every round on her is a bonus because I didn’t think I’d ever get another one. But she’s fit, she’s strong, she’s sound now, and I couldn’t be happier to have her back.”

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