Rio was in a terrible accident on November 15, 2005.  He was startled out in the pasture and raced back to the barn and forgot to stop at the fence.  We were very worried that he had broken his leg and he would have to be put down.  He is a sweet two-year-old and so many of our students just love this little horse.   The Veterinarian at Lone Star Equine Hospital in Grand Prairie told us that he had broken his shoulder.  Our choice was to have him put down for a few hundred dollars, or have it fixed for several thousand dollars to pay for surgery and the extensive rehabilitation that he was going to have to go though. Putting him down was not an option for us, but this unforseen set back when hay and fuel prices have been so high, and with the holidays around the corner when our business starts to slow down for the winter couldn't have happened at a worse time for us.  Plus just two years ago we had major veterinarian bills when another two year old we owned got kicked in the face and had to have reconstructive surgery to repair the damage.   Some of our wonderful students asked us if they could chip in to help pay for Rio's veterinary costs and they asked us to put this information and photo's on our website so they would know where to donate.  This will make it easier for us to make sure that Rio gets the best veterinary care.  We are hoping that Rio has a 100% recovery and is not lamed by this.  But either way we feel like this sweet little horse deserves the best chance available.   Please see photo's below.

Above and Right:  Dr. Mark Crabill, Diplomate, ACVS on the left with M-Bar-K Farm's own Instructor/Trainer Mike Aldridge assisting in Rio's shoulder surgery.  Mike is a trained Animal Care Specialist and Dr. Crabill told us after the surgery that Mike was a big help!

Left:  Surgery is always dangerous when a horse has to be put under general anesthesia.  But without surgery Rio would have had a very painful recovery and he may have never been able to be ridden again.

Above:  As Dr. Crabill and Mike Aldridge work on Rio, one of our young M-Bar-K Farms student's Tasha Lee watches outside the observation window.  She is thinking of being a veterinarian technician some day.

Left:  Waking up from surgery is never fun, but it is especially dangerous for horses.   A groggy horse can startle and thrash, undoing all the hard work that the surgeon just finished.  Here Rio has his ears plugged and is being supported by his head and tail by two helpers in a padded room.

Right:  Rio had a great recovery and is resting quietly in his stall at the Lone Star Equine Hospital.  He will need to stay here a few days for constant monitoring, but he has a very good prognosis for the future if his recovery and rehabilitation go well.

Left:  Dr. Crabill said that it will take Rio at least four months for his surgery to heal, and then he faces more months of physical therapy to build back the muscle that will be lost because of this.  Rio has a long road ahead of him, but I am sure our students will enjoy working with us on his recovery to make this little horse as good as new!  It will especially be a great learning experience for our students that are thinking of a career in a veterinary field.

If you stop by the barn to visit Rio when he gets home from the hospital, don't forget to sign his Get Well card!

If you would like to help us recover our costs for Rio's emergency surgery and rehabilitation expenses you can send donations to:  We are no longer taking donations for Rio.  Thank you very much for all of our students as well as the other people who so generously donated to Rio's get well fund.  4/12/06 See updated photos and video below!

Left: Saturday, November 19, 2005.  Dr. Crabill leads Rio carefully out of his stall and towards the trailer.  Dr. Crabill decided to let Rio come home earlier with us since Mike is so skilled at veterinary care and can do all of the extensive treatments Rio needs at home.

Right: It is slow going as Rio limps to the awaiting trailer for the 20 mile ride home. Below: M-Bar-K Farms starts training their babies early and it pays off today.  Rio walks quietly, without hesitation into the trailer behind the veterinarian.  A balky two-year-old could easily re-damage his injury site if he acted up right now.

Update: January 15, 2006 After two months in his stall in Cedar Hill we thought Rio would enjoy a change of scenery.   So we moved him to another barn, but don't worry, he will be back in a few months to start his rehabilitation when he is all healed up!

Update: April 12, 2006 Rio is doing unbelievably well!  He is barely limping and you can't even see his scar any more.  We are expecting a full recovery!  See photos and video below.  He will be starting back in training in a few weeks and should be back in our lesson program in a couple of months.

Above:  Rio grazes while we snap a few pictures.  Right: Dr. Crabill, you did a wonderful job on Rio!  We can't even see the scar on him.

Update: May 19, 2006 Rio has done so well in his recovery that we decided to have his plate removed!! We took him to Lone Star Equine Hospital on Friday, May 19, 2006 for Dr. Crabill to remove it.  See new photos of this below.

Left:  Dr. Crabill took an x-ray to see how the shoulder healed and to locate the plate and screws that would need to be removed. (Click on photo to enlarge).

Right: Luckily this is a fairly minor surgery and Rio did not need to be put under a general anesthesia this time.  Dr. Crabill gave him a local tranquilizer and went to work.  This is a much safer procedure then his original surgery and recovery will be much easier for Rio.

Left:  Dr. Crabill made two small two inch long incisions and then he and his assistant had to remove the five two inch long screws. Then they needed to remove the fibrous material that had grown over the plate during the last six months since the surgery in order to pull the plate out.

Right:  HERE IT IS!!! This is the plate that held Rio's shoulder bones together while they knitted back together.  This plate is approximately 6 inches long.  It helped Rio's shoulder heal completely and Dr. Crabill is expecting a 100% recovery! YEAH!!!

Left: Rio will wake up from this and not remember anything.  Dr. Crabill said Rio needs to stay in his stall for two weeks, then a paddock stall for two weeks and then we can start his rehabilitation and training back up again and by the end of the year he should be able to jump or run barrels if we want him too!

This is a photo of Rio and student Lindsay Kooyman, taken just a week before the accident.

Above:  Rio had a good ride home and lots of visitors today.  He sure was happy to be home.  He decided it was time to get some rest for the night.  Rio will need to stay in this stall for the next three months.  If you are in the area, please be sure and stop by and say hi to him.  He seems to really enjoy having visitors.

Update: January 27, 2007 Rio is fully recovered now and is in full swing as a lesson horse at M-Bar-K Farms.  We will be leaving up this web page as a reference for anyone looking for hope after having a broken shoulder on their own horse.  Please feel free to contact us with any questions about Rio's recovery.