Here, a rider from Region 3 tells us about her horse’s tumultuous journey to recovery from a gnarly pasture accident; from death’s door, to helping her earn her USDF Bronze Medal!
By Maggie Shuman
On September 14, 2025, I earned my USDF Bronze Medal with my horse, Zach Eyed Pea. That is something I truly never thought I would say.
I was lucky enough to meet Zach at the beginning of my senior year of high school, when I was looking for an event horse to rebuild my confidence. Zach was brave, talented, sweet as can be, and had a successful eventing career up to FEI 2*. Under the guidance of Mary Bess Davis, within the next year, we had sailed around numerous events, rarely finishing outside of the top three. Zach reminded me how much I loved riding and competing, and we started setting some big goals for 2023.
Unfortunately, Zach was involved in a freak pasture accident on January 31, 2023, fracturing his mandible in multiple places. I was at a loss for words; how could we fly around a 1.0-meter course on Monday and be in the intensive care unit on Tuesday?
I am beyond grateful for the incredible team at the University of Georgia (UGA) Veterinary Teaching Hospital for all the work they did putting Zach back together again. He spent months going back and forth from home to UGA, fighting infection, after infection, after infection. I watched his muscle definition fade and his surgical wound drain for months, yet his positive spirit and kind demeanor stayed the same. Serious conversations were had about his ability to survive this injury, and I had lost hope of us ever returning to the show ring. It wasn’t until medical-grade maggots successfully debrided his oral cavity of infection that he started to make real progress toward healing.
While Zach was fighting for his life, I was busy figuring out what direction I was going in, come high school graduation. For years, I had a clear picture in my head: Zach and I competing on the University of Kentucky’s Intercollegiate Eventing Team. That was until I felt my competition dreams slip away, because I had no desire to ride or compete if it wasn’t with Zach. Every day spent rehabbing Zach was both a gift, and an unknown. Since this was such an extreme trauma to his mouth, and he had spent so long on stall rest, we had no idea how he would react to working again. Unsurprisingly, Zach showed up with his workman-like personality day after day, showing us how happy he was to be included in regular activities. Thanks to the incredibly hard-working girls at Triple Creek Eventing, Zach was able to continue rehabbing while I started school at the University of Kentucky in August.
A few months into college, Zach was back to regular work, and I was ready for him to move up to Lexington. After extensively researching potential barns to ride at, I decided that Miramonte Equine, with Emily Brollier-Curtis, would be the best fit. And boy, was I right. I wasn’t sure how he would respond to the dressage-horse life, as he always preferred to run fast and jump big. A fourteen-year-old appendix is not the typical dressage prospect, but I knew Zach was special. While I had intentions to keep eventing, I have always loved dressage, and he really stepped up for me.
In my first few lessons with Emily, we focused on the basics, making sure Zach’s injury was doing alright, and building his strength back to what it used to be. She believed Zach could make it to Third Level, and while that felt far off, I started training with that goal in the back of my head.
In December of 2023, he had his final oral surgery to remove the teeth that were permanently damaged from his accident. We started strong in 2024 with his wound completely healed for the very first time. I am thankful for numerous veterinarians who problem-solved this peculiar injury and never gave up on my boy.
I have to give the most credit to Zach, though, for his larger-than-life personality and his zest for moving forward. In July of 2024, Zach and I made our USDF debut at First Level, earning the first score towards my Bronze Medal.
I never would have thought that, just over a year later, I would have a wildly successful Third Level horse, and a small bronze lapel pin on my jacket. Our plans didn’t stop here, as Zach has made immense progress towards Fourth Level and beyond. Zach has started to become the big, bad dressage horse I have always dreamed about, getting stronger and fancier by the day. This incredible horse is a gift that keeps on giving, and I don’t know how I got to be so lucky.
Thank you, Mary Bess, for the fond memories I have of our eventing career, and for pouring hours into helping him heal and rehabilitate. Thank you to the staff at the University of Georgia Veterinary Teaching Hospital for getting creative with science and never giving up on Zach. Thank you, Emily, for believing in us every single day and loving Zach (almost) as much as I do. I am so thankful to have found a home with the people and horses at Miramonte Equine.
Lastly, thank you, Zach Eyed Pea, for making my wildest dreams come true; you are one in a million.
