His name says it all, Amigo, friend, partner; he has been all that and more to his owner, Gary Sanderson. Gary says that he is the most loveable horse. He says that his horse is so gentle that he will take food and treats straight from your mouth. When Gary talks to you about Amigo, it is obvious that he is devoted to him and also that he is very proud of Amigo's achievements.
He has reason to be proud of this chestnut beauty. He acquired Galapago Amigo, a full blooded Arabian, in 2005. In 2006, they started competing in endurance races. In the three years since, they have logged roughly 300 miles in limited distance races that are less than 50 miles and over 700 miles in 50 mile long endurance rides. Amigo has finished in the top 10 in a vast majority of his races. In 2008, he was the 5th middleweight in the Southeast. In the National Championship Ride held in Indiana, they finished 43rd in a field of 114 of the best endurance horses in the country. He was also the 5th Arabian in the AHA region 12 ride in 2009. His endurance record can be found at the American Endurance Ride Conference web site and his pedigree, which includes his sire, the great Arabian race horse, Count Galagor, can also be seen there.
It isn't surprising that Amigo is well known, really quite famous, and loved by literally thousands of people. His racing record alone should gain him notoriety. But sadly, it is not his athleticism or his sweet nature which have garnered him such fame and adoration; it is a terrible accident which occurred on January 17th, 2010. When Gary went to the barn that afternoon around 4:20, he discovered that Amigo had been impaled through the chest with a limb that was 3 feet long and 2 inches wide. No one really knows how this happened. There are theories that the limb fell on him or that because of the wet Winter that we've had here in Tennessee, perhaps he slipped in the mud and landed on the limb. Only Amigo knows for sure but it was a horrific accident which left him fighting for his life. The limb penetrated his chest right above his left shoulder. The Vet attending Amigo told Gary that, if it were his horse, he would put him down but Gary had to give his friend a chance. He decided to take Amigo to the University of Tennessee Large Animal Clinic. Amigo not only managed the walk to the trailer and the trip to Knoxville but he also made a 30 yard walk to the stockade at the clinic. Amigo was immediately taken into surgery to remove the limb. He was not sedated and stood during the entire surgery. The limb had already broken two ribs and its removal collapsed Amigo's lung. The days and weeks following the surgery have been very difficult and full of highs and lows. The doctors at U.T. have saved Amigo's life four times. The bacteria in Amigo's lungs is very resistant to the antibiotics. He has been treated with both nuclear medicine and a hyperbolic chamber which uses high pressure oxygen to kill the bacteria. As with all horses in critical medical condition where their movement has to be severely restricted, there is always a constant fear of lamenitis developing but the severe bacterial infection he's had makes the threat to Amigo even stronger. His platelets dropped from 100,000 to 16,000 because he developed immune mediated Thorombocytopenia and his own immune system was destroying his platelets. He's had eleven bags of plasma from two different donors. He had a blood clot go to his brain which caused him to collapse. Both of his lungs collapsed during a surgery to remove an abcess.The vets were forced to put drainage tubes in both lungs.Through all of this Amigo keeps fighting and he's also kept his sweet and calm temperament, never once biting or kicking, always becoming alert and neighing when Gary visits. The entire Vet staff at the clinic loves him and his primary veterinarian, Dr. Nicholas Frank, says that he has never seen a horse with so much fight and such a will to live. He has overcome obstacles that would kill most horses.
After surviving one close call after another, Amigo's life seems to be a lesson in miracles. Each time that he appears to be down for the count, he bounces back. No less amazing is the fan base he has now; over 5,800 people follow his story daily on facebook. He has had two television news stories about his struggles and numerous articles both on the web and in print. His fans have sent hundreds of letters, cards, and drawings wishing him a speedy recovery, and many people and groups have donated both time and money to help offset his tremendous medical bills which have climbed to over $20,000 in the nearly three months since his accident. Amigo means friend and he certainly has many of them but no ones love for him can match that of Gary who believed in his friend enough to give him the chance to live. He was evidently already aware that Amigo is a fighter with a huge heart.
Donations to help cover the cost of Amigo's medical care can be sent to:

University of TN c/o Business office 2407 River Drive Knoxville, TN 37996

Make checks payable to: University of TN Large Animal Clinic Patient #211197 Amigo

You can follow Amigo's story on facebook and there is information there on how you can also donate through paypal.com

Many thanks to: Linda Toups,"Moments to Memories Photography" and Jessica Willis, "Unbridled Images" for the generous use of their images in this article.
I'm hoping that Amigo's story has found its happy ending by the time The Tennessee Equestrian goes to print at the end of 2010. I found his will to live so inspiring and his owner's devotion and Amigo's gentle nature so heartwarming that I had to share it with you now. I hope you enjoyed hearing about Amigo and I hope that you will continue to follow him and his journey to a full recovery on facebook. And please, contribute to his care if you can. Thank you~Sande E.
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All work used with permission of the artists.