Horse who suffered severe injury and treated by UGA vets will walk in Tournament of Roses

There was a day, three years ago, when David Helmuth feared he would have to euthanize one of his horses, Rusty.

On Monday, that horse, which was treated by veterinarians at the University of Georgia, will walk in the Tournament of Roses Parade a few hours before Georgia plays Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl.

It was St. Patrick’s Day in 2014 when, in a wide open field enjoying free time, Rusty broke a bone in his front left leg.

The injury didn’t occur during a parade or procession. He wasn’t hitched to anything. Rusty was just playing with a horse named Chip. The horses’ legs collided. The bone broke. The next morning, Helmuth noticed something was wrong with Rusty. The horse could hardly walk. Rusty’s leg swelled severely. By nightfall, Helmuth knew the injury was serious.

“When I'd touch it,” Helmuth said, “you would know.”

Helmuth called the Durham Veterinary Clinic in Greensboro. After examining the injury, the veterinarians there told Helmuth he needed to go to Georgia’s veterinary teaching hospital. The injury was too severe for them to treat it.

Helmuth made plans for transporting Rusty to Athens. Veterinarians at the school told Helmuth Rusty’s chance of surviving and walking without a limp again was 50 percent. They also warned Helmuth about the cost of the surgery.

The other option was euthanizing the horse.

“It's like your child,” said Helmuth, who has owned the now 10-year-old horse its whole life. “I never even came close to thinking that.”

Helmuth approved the procedure, and Rusty underwent a successful surgery, which involved removing fragments of bone that had become infected. It took a year for the horse to fully recover. Since then, Helmuth said Rusty, a half Belgian, half Quarter horse who weighs 1,450 pounds, hasn’t taken a lame step.

At the Tournament of Roses Parade, Rusty will be in the left front lead position pulling Wells Fargo’s Stagecoach. Six horses will tow the carriage. Being in the lead position, Rusty is like the quarterback of the group, Helmuth said. The stagecoach will be near the front of the parade, Helmuth said, around position No. 12.

Though Helmuth has participated in the Tournament of Roses Parade eight times, this will be Rusty’s first time in the event. Three years ago, it was hard for Helmuth to imagine that Rusty would ever fully recover, much less walk in a nationally-recognized parade.

“Rusty is a bulldog,” Helmuth said. “He's not a wimp. He's not going to lay down in the corner and give up. He never gave up. He wanted to be part of this team.”

This story was originally published December 31, 2017 at 5:01 PM with the headline "Horse who suffered severe injury and treated by UGA vets will walk in Tournament of Roses."