#HorseHatsForTaylore, Following Daughter’s Traumatic Horse Accident, One Mother Embarks on Quest to Create “Ball Cap Campaign”

By: Brittany Bevis

Last week, we received a message from one of our EquineChronicle.com readers, Lori Long of Wisconsin. The story she told about her daughter’s recent traumatic horse-related injury was so touching that we couldn’t help but share it with our readers.

Long’s goal was to obtain an Equine Chronicle ball cap for her daughter, Taylore, who was recently kicked in the face by a horse. After undergoing extensive plastic surgery including over 55 stitches, a fractured cheek bone, and injuries to her teeth, jaw, and eye, Taylore is on the road to recovery. However, her doctors have insisted that she stay out of the sun for at least one year to minimize the chances of deep scarring. Little did they know that giving up her daily routine of riding her horses wasn’t something Taylore was prepared to do.

“She’s so horse oriented that there is no way we can possibly keep her from being outdoors with her greatest love, let alone for a whole year!” Lori Long says. “The whole incident has been traumatic, but she’s a trooper. The surgeon has done a wonderful job.”

“She did get about 25 of the stitches out [March 27th], and it looks wonderful. About 30 more should be out soon. The fracture is healing fabulously. Now, we are working on teeth, her jaw, and an issue with her eye. We think she will be beautiful as always.”

As often with horse-related injuries, Taylore’s ordeal was the result of an unfortunate accident. Due to some bad weather in the area, Taylore’s horses had been stalled inside for several days. When it finally came time for the horses to enjoy some paddock time outside, they were feeling more than a bit frisky.

“[One of the horses] kicked so high that her hooves went right up and over the wooden fence into Taylore’s face,” she says. “The horse had back shoes on, and one of the toe clips ripped into her face. It ripped down her nose through to her upper lip. She took a direct hit into the right side of her face fracturing her cheek bone and damaging her jaw, teeth, nose, and eye.”

“The plastic surgeon repaired the tears that went all the way through from the outside to the inside. Her surgeon did a wonderful job at repairing the damage. He told her that in order to keep scarring to a minimum, she needed to be sure to stay out of the sun for at least 12 months. Taylore told him that could never happen, because her whole life revolved around horses. He conceded and told her to wear lots of sunblock and stay protected from the sun.”

The doctor’s suggestion was to wear a baseball cap at all times. Hoping to encourage her daughter to comply with the doctor’s wishes, Lori set about on a campaign to gather as many horse-related hats as she could find. A few horse industry professionals and companies have already send over some hats at Lori’s request. Weaver Leather, The Equine Chronicle, Horse & Rider, USET, Invitation Only, Lazy Loper, and Highpoint Performance Horses are just a few that have already participated.

“This cap campaign just seemed to be one more step in encouragement,” she says. “The caps will shield her from the sun all year, helping to keep the injuries from scaring and discoloring. The owners of one of her favorite stallions, Lazy Loper, is already sending her caps!”

“Taylore was quite surprised when we gave her the first box of hats. What started out as a mission to try and purchase a few caps to encourage her, has turned into the most wonderful outpouring of support. It has affirmed what we already knew, without a doubt, that the horse industry is full of the most caring, kind, and generous people. It is with a humbled and joyful heart that we say thank you to them all.”

This is where you come in. For all of our friends out there who have logo ball caps for the promotion of your stallions, barns, equine facilities, or horse-related companies, we’re encouraging you to get involved in #HorseHatsForTaylore.

All you have to do is mail a ball cap to Lori Long at the following address.

Lori Long

1219 Moore Ave

West Bend WI

53090

A few of Taylore’s favorite stallions include Good I Will Be, Zippos Mr Good Bar, Radical Rodder, and Zips Chocolate Chip. She is a fan of multiple disciplines and first started competing with her POA at the age of two.

Remember our #HowGoodIWillBe article last week? This is a perfect way to do something “good” for someone else in the horse industry. If you plan on sending a hat to Taylore, take a picture and share it on Facebook with the hashtag #HorseHatsForTaylore. Let’s see how many we can get! If you don’t have a hat to send, you can still participate by sharing a link to this article on your social media account.