Cassie Kahle, the Feb. 6 update

by | Feb 4, 2022

Update note: This weekend, things were status quo for show jumper Cassandra Kahle, who is hospitalized with a traumatic brain injury. We will update you as things change. Meanwhile, a GoFundMe page to cover medical and rehab expenses for Cassie has been started by Liz Schindler McFadden. Click here to donate.

Cassie’s mother, Natasha Brash, has offered a message to those who are praying for her daughter:

“For anyone who knows Cassandra Kahle they know she takes her time but she always gets everything done and done well. So I know this is no different. She needs time to repair herself so we are all waiting patiently.
We’ve had a few complications but we are all confident that as each one comes up the doctors and specialists are right there with what needs to be done.
We need your prayers now more than ever.
I have read many of your messages to her and played some videos and songs to her that you’ve all been sending.
Thank you to all of you who take the time to send your messages. It is truly unreal that there are literally thousands of messages.
Everyone describes Cass almost the same. Kind, considerate, caring and so fun. She’s always kept her child like playfulness about her. Her optimism, concern, empathy and humility are so genuine.
I have laughed and cried at many of your stories while reading them to her. The ways that you’ve described Cass makes me the proudest mom.
I am very proud of what’s she accomplished for herself, the success and incredible work ethic she has and her humility to always learn more and always give more.
But most of all it is when I meet people and they say to me, “I just need to shake the hand of the mother that raised this girl” and they go on to tell me all about how she has inspired them, or helped, or done a kind act for their child. I love you Cass, I am so proud to be your mother!”

What follows is the story from February 4.

On Thursday night, Cassie “cracked her eyes open and stared right at me,” said Emil Spadone, who owns Redfield Farm in Ocala, Fla., and Califon, N.J., where Cassie is a professional rider and trainer..

“Then she followed the command of the thumbs up and two fingers.” That was something she was able to do earlier this week, even though she hadn’t opened her eyes at that point.

“It was an emotional moment,” Emil noted.

“That was the up. The down is she hasn’t done it again since.”

He had mentioned earlier on Thursday that because she had aspiration pneumonia from her breathing tube, her infection was likely to slow down her response time. Now, however, he reported, her cough is almost completely gone.

He thinks her weekend may stay status quo, but is looking forward to “a more marked improvement” next week.

Meanwhile, thousands of people are following the progress of the popular 29-year-old competitor, praying and rooting for her as she battles traumatic brain injury.

So in case you missed it, here’s the back story:

UF Health Shands Hospital in Gainesville, Fla., quickly addressed the change in Cassie’s situation with antibiotics when she was diagnosed with pneumonia.

Emil was told it would take “24 to 48 hours to allow the antibiotics to do their job and we expect to be back on track.”

Being young and strong are factors in Cassie’s favor.  It’s tough to take the situation in stride, especially after how well she reacted on Wednesday, but doctors advise patience.

For those who don’t know what happened, Cassie and her mount, Heviola, fell in the 1.40-meter Classic at the HITS show in Ocala.The 10-year-old Dutchbred mare was unhurt, but Cassie suffered a traumatic brain injury. Her family flew down from Canada to support her and are waiting for her to wake up.

The doctors are “very optimistic,” said Emil.

“They see this all the time. We don’t, so it’s very up and down and roller-coastery for us. The doctor said, `You just have to take that, that’s the way it is, it goes up and it goes down. You’ll have some good days and some-not-as good days.’ ”

Emil said scans show mild bleeding and mild bruising.

“They’re all recoverable injuries,” he noted, adding, “it’s a little bit of a slow process. Every hour, they do a neuro test; it changes from one hour to the next.”

“They’re still very positive and so, of course, we’re very positive,” Emil emphasized.

Cassie is an accomplished rider who won the $100,000 Grand Prix de Penn National last year and the World Champion Hunter Rider Pro Challenge at the Capital Challenge Horse Show in 2019.

Cassie on her way to winning the Grand Prix de Penn National last fall. (Andrew Ryback photo)

She was going fast in the jump-off at HITS when two distances to the next jump appeared. One was an inside turn, the other was a longer distance.

“I was watching and saw both distances,” said Emil.

“I saw the flyer; she was trying to fit in the shorter one, the horse was trying to pick up on the longer one and left early.”

The horse fell and her rider “got catapulted off the side.”

She hit her head just above her temple and left eye and back to the side; that’s where the contusions are on the scan, according to Emil, adding her only other injury is a big bruise on her side.

Cassie in action. (Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)

Emil noted that like every other rider, Cassie has fallen more than once.

“She always gets up and dusts off her pants and says `Let’s try again.’ She’s tough.”

But this time, it didn’t happen that way.

“It was really a miscommunication. It wasn’t Heviola’s fault and it wasn’t Cassie’s fault,” said Emil.

As often happens when there is a crisis, the horse show community has rallied around Cassie. Danielle Torano organized an effort to send food to Cassie’s nurses as a thank you for her care.

Those who want to contribute can click on this link