The end of May, Mark took Jayden and Ace to the vet at ISU to figure out what is going on with his odd behavior. Jayden suspected pain and wanted to get to the root of it. He passed the lameness exam and they couldn't find anything. As problems continued at rodeos, sour at the gate, raring, turning, backing, and blowing by barrels, Jayden kept researching. She took Ace back to ISU for further exams. They had him scoped to see if he had ulcers. Another trip to the vet later, he was checked with blood work, palpated, lameness, stress test, and more. Nothing was coming up a red flag.
It is really heartbreaking for Jayden. Last year was like a dream. She had such a good season. We know Ace has it in him. We have seen him make amazing runs, have times near the PRCA girls. When he puts everything together and has a flawless run, he is in the money. This year, it has been trouble at the gate and many blown barrels. Jayden had goals, she was excited, she was going to have an even better year. She had Ace all figured out and ready for the season, or so she thought. By late July, Jayden stopped entering rodeos and knew she couldn't keep going. She spent so much time trying to get Ace back in the game., She spent so much of her hard earned money on entry fees. She was feeling upset and frustrated after her runs and wanting to cry. She felt embarrassed. It was hard to see as I know how much she loves the sport and how much work she puts into it. We decided to get another opinion. Jayden wanted to take Ace all the way to Texas to the best vet in the country. She settled for a vet in Huxley. Trotting him on concrete showed he was lame on his front right. This vet blocked him, starting at the toe, then the heel, then the leg, then the knee, then the upper leg until we couldn't go any higher. He was still lame after blocking out. Then we tried x-rays on his neck. Nothing came back to give us any diagnosis. Jayden had talked for a couple years about doing high school rodeo. This was her last year to compete, her last chance to join. She knew she couldn't do it with Ace and was sad and disappointed. I was sad for her too. I know how much it means. High school is also where the colleges scout kids and what colleges look at for scholarships. She has lots of freinds that have joined. Another reality, if she cant get Ace going again, she wont be able to college rodeo. I know God has big plans for Jayden and he is working on her. She is learning perseverance!!
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