Canadian Grand Prix rider Shannon Dueck had to trailer her top Grand Prix horse Ayscha to the equine clinic in all urgency for a health scare. Only the day before the mare had scored 66.702% and finished 8th in the 2012 CDI Wellington Grand Prix.
"Ayscha has been the equine clinic for the past 24 hours fighting a very odd "acute fever unknown origin"," Dueck explained. "It has been a very difficult day. She is doing well and they are reducing medications tonight to see if she can hold her own. We have no idea where this came from, they do not think it is contagious. Oh my god, how does this happen? Yesterday morning she did a fabulous Grand Prix test."
The cause of the fever is unknown so far. "It's nothing obvious. She has been competing very soundly drug free at CDI's since the middle of January," she said. "It could be a simple as a bug bite."
Ayscha got through the night on reduced medication with no fever. "We are hopeful she is on the road to recovery," Dueck stated.
Top American veterinarian Dr. Tim Ober as well as Dueck's farrier James Gilchrist are working on Ayscha to make sure she does not have any repercussions from this scare.
Ayscha is an 11-year old Oldenburg mare by Welt Hit II x Rouletto. Dueck has spent the summer in Great Britain training with Carl Hester before returning home to Wellington, Florida this winter for the 2012 Dressage in Florida show circuit.
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