Munich, Germany (June 20, 2014) – It takes an outstanding equestrian to forfeit dreams of competing in the Rotterdam CDIO5* Nations Cup in order to take the best possible care of a beloved horse. Even after countless hours of preparation and being filled with the excitement of representing the United States in international competition, Devon Kane did not hesitate for a second to put the well-being of her horse Destiny before her own wishes.
As the talented duo from Wellington, Florida began their summer of training and showing in Europe, Devon Kane noticed something slightly off about Destiny’s movement. The pair was schooling for the competition in Munich, Germany that would kick off what was sure to be a successful season when Kane felt a change in Destiny’s extended trot. Kane and her trainer, Olympic Gold Medalist Hubertus Schmidt of Germany, evaluated Destiny and found him to be sound, but Kane couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right. “The good thing about having your horse from a baby and spending every step of the way with him is that I know Destiny inside and out. My heart sunk and I knew there was a problem, whether you could see it or not. He was sound, but I was far from convinced that he was perfectly fine,” Kane explained.
A full veterinary examination by Dr. Breems— one of the most skilled and respected veterinarians in Germany— revealed that Destiny had a minor sprain. More serious injury could have occurred, but luckily Kane caught the problem soon enough for Destiny to now be on the road to 100% recovery. She realized she would need to pull Destiny from the shows that they had been preparing tirelessly for— starting with Munich and including the elite Rotterdam CDIO5* Nations Cup. Despite Kane’s disappointment to withdraw from the competitions, she finds comfort in the confidence that she did the right thing for her horse. “If there is a problem and he is hurting, I owe it to Destiny and respect him enough to make the tough decision not to go further and cause damage to my horse. The risk of causing a serious injury for one show is not worth it. It was heartbreaking to have to pull out of our first European CDI, after working so hard to get there and being more than prepared.”
Although of course Kane and Destiny’s ideal summer would be free of injury and full of showing off their talent in the dressage ring, Kane is thankful that the injury occurred in such close proximity to the expert veterinarian Dr. Breems. She also feels blessed to be at Hubertus Schmidt’s barn, where everyone is pitching in to take excellent care of Destiny. “The first thing Hubertus said to me after the vet evaluation was, ‘Devon, you will ride some of MY horses when we get back.’ That was a huge compliment.” Kane smiles. She now is riding several of Schmidt’s Grand Prix horses as well as taking lessons from him on her own six-year-old Winchester.
“You take what you get and you don’t get upset. I ride horses, and with the thrills and excitement comes the heartbreak. They do get hurt. All of them do. Having pity or feeling sorry for yourself does nothing but hold you back.” Being held back is certainly not something that Kane would let happen to her. With the attitude of a true horsewoman, she understands that life is full of lemons just waiting for to be made into lemonade.
To learn more about Devon Kane and her dressage training, showing, and boarding business Diamante Farms, visit DiamanteFarms.com or call 210-240-1614.
