One Year After Open Heart Surgery, Georgia Vernal Prepares to Compete at AjPHA Youth World Show

By: Brittany Bevis

This time last year, 16-year-old equestrienne Georgia Vernal was on her way to the AjPHA Youth World Championship Show in Fort Worth, Texas, but showing her horse was the last thing on her mind. The day before she left for the competition, Georgia received a frightening diagnosis concerning a serious health condition that had gone undetected for 15 and a half years.

“We found out about it when she went in for her sports physical,” says Georgia’s mother, Kim Vernal. “The pediatrician thought he heard something that sounded like a heart murmur, so we made an appointment to see a cardiologist. It was a hole in the center of her heart 3 ½ centimeters wide, and it had been there since she was born. As a result, her heart was enlarged three times its normal size.”

“We found this out on June 22nd, the day before we left for the Youth World Show last year. The doctor said she’d been living with this condition for 15 ½ years and we needed to try to let her be as normal as possible, but it needed fixing immediately. When I asked why, he said that it wasn’t if she was going to have a stroke, but when.”

Open heart surgery was scheduled for July 28th, when Georgia returned home from the show. “She had surgery for six and half hours,” Kim says. “They opened her chest up all the way and had to break her sternum to get to her heart. She was in the hospital for a week.”

When Georgia returned home from the hospital, she began the slow process of recovery. In the beginning, she couldn’t lift her arms above her head and wasn’t allowed to carry a backpack or books for ten weeks. After three months, Georgia was allowed to walk on a treadmill for one mile. It was six months before doctors gave her the all clear to ride a horse.

According to doctors, Georgia’s heart tissue will continue to grow around the patch they placed over the hole. In a year or two, it won’t even be visible on an echocardiogram.

An active athlete before the surgery, Georgia has noticed a big change in the way her body responds during strenuous activity like running, playing lacrosse, competing in field hockey, or riding horses.

“The doctors were surprised that Georgia had never questioned her shortness of breath,” Kim says. “But she’d had this condition her whole life; she didn’t know any different. She made varsity in lacrosse this year and lettered. The surgeon said if she was an athlete before the surgery, she is going to be amazing after the surgery.”

“The first time I worked out, it felt completely different,” Georgia says. “Before surgery, I would run for two miles and would be breathing really hard. I thought that was completely normal. After surgery, I ran two miles and I wasn’t even breathing hard! It was completely different than before.”

When Georgia first received word that she wouldn’t be able to ride for six months following her surgery, she was understandably very disappointed. “It was very shocking, because I’ve been riding since I was about five, for every day of my life. I love being able to ride, because it’s like I’m in a different world. My friends at the barn are so supportive. When I told them I couldn’t ride anymore, it was tough on everybody, because we’re like family. I’m so blessed to have them.”

“In the beginning, it was super tough on her emotionally, but she rose to the occasion, no doubt,” Kim says. “She healed great. We’re 100%. I can’t wait to see what God has in store for her.”

Georgia’s heart was finally healthy. She was working hard to rebuild her stamina and endurance. Things were looking up.

Then, on May 21st, Georgia’s horse, Fascination Sensation, (Theodore) had to be rushed into emergency colic surgery. This is the first week he’s been able to be turned outside to play and graze in his pasture.

“I had worked so hard after my surgery, and I thought we could do the World Show together, because I was finally healthy. Everything was great,” Georgia says. “But sometimes things just don’t work out like they’re planned.”

Thanks to the generosity of her barn family at Gillespie Show Horses and a last minute variance with APHA, Georgia will still be able to compete at the Youth World Show this year, with two different horses, Western Sensation and Cool Hot Rod. “Our barn is such a family,” Kim says. “She leasing two horses from people in the barn. They said, ‘what’s mine is Georgia’s.'”

While Theodore is back at home recovering from his surgery, Georgia will be competing in Youth 14-18 Showmanship, Trail, Western Riding, Horsemanship, and Equitation.

“I’m pretty nervous for every single class,” she says. “These are completely new horses that I’ve only ridden for about a week. Getting used to two new horses and practicing the patterns is very nerve wracking, because I don’t know them as well as Theodore. But, I think it’s going to be a good challenge for me, because I want to ride in college and [on an equestrian team] you have to show horses you’ve never ridden before.”

We would like to wish the very best of luck to Miss Georgia this year at the 2016 AjPHA Youth World Championship Show. If you see her in the warmup pen or around the rings, be sure to give her a hug and remind her not to be nervous!

It’s just showing horses, not heart surgery. 🙂