Sadly, another professional equestrian has suffered a serious injury in competition, just as Cassandra Kahle did in January.
Cassie is in rehab for treatment of a traumatic brain injury, but last weekend, show jumper David Beisel suffered a terrible fall during a class at the World Equestrian Center in Ohio.
In a March 22 update, Paige Beisel stated: “David is getting out of the ICU (at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio) and moving to his rehab facility in the next day or two. He’s improving steadily and continues to inspire with his attitude and work ethic. His hands aren’t quite up for texting yet and he wants his friends to know he will be in touch soon!
“Meanwhile, Cooper and Izzy visit here each day and we are holding strong. Last night we had a “family dinner” in his room and watched Wheel of Fortune. If you know us well, then you know that show, along with Jeopardy, is a family favorite… We miss our family dinners, and they are a requirement at our house. This has glued us together. We are stronger for it. David’s recovery is going to take some time. That’s the hard part… a lot is unknown, but so far, he’s only getting better and better. He’s moving quite a bit more each day, and went to the hospital physical therapy gym today on special permission to practice his moves.
“Please continue to pray for his healing. He can do this! David and I continue to be blown away by the generosity of everyone who has contributed in so many ways to help us through this uncertainty… be it meals for my kids, kind words, donations to his go fund me…. thank you. We don’t know what else to say. It’s the most amazing feeling to be held in such kindness.”
T.J. Campbell, WEC general manager, noted, “David is a lifelong professional of this sport and has dedicated his entire life to his equestrian career; and is by far one of the kindest, hardest-working professionals in the industry. David rides and trains to support his business; his wife, Paige, who competes as an amateur rider; his daughter, Izzy, and son, Cooper, who currently ride as juniors within our sport.”
“David will require surgery on several discs and ligaments in his neck, and the amount of nerve damage is still unclear. Thankfully, the spinal cord does not appear to have suffered damage from what we know today,” stated T.J., who started a GoFundMe (see below) to help with the medical expenses associated with this accident and the family’s daily living costs.
“As many of you know, David owns and operates a boarding and training facility here in Ohio, and his career is solely based on his ability to ride and teach. The amount of time David will have to spend in the hospital is currently unknown, but the recovery time will likely be extensive once he is released. It is still very unclear what David’s return to work situation will look like.”
The World Equestrian Center Ohio is putting together a plan to offer some events for equestrians to show their support for David in the coming weeks. More information on those opportunities will be forthcoming.
To donate, click on this link