I’ve known Tina Konyat since we were little kids. I got to ride with her Dad, the genius, Alex Konyot, on his horses while Tina, younger then myself, rode her fabulous pony, Johnny. Alex was the only person in my life that my mother would allow to call me Bobby, though more of the time he would call me, ” You Shoemaker!” In case it’s not clear, that was not necessarily a compliment. Alex was, just as his daughter is now, a perfectionist in every way, and the slightest movement of the hand or a poor leg or seat position was dealt with by a very loud response in any one of his nine or so fluent dialects (I believe he could swear in many more).

Tina is, in so many ways, a chip of the old block. She is artistic, tempermental, extremely talented, sometimes impossible and truly has a heart of gold, especially when it comes to her animals. So a couple of months ago when she called from the bottom of a staircase she had fallen down, in obvious agony and asking for the name of a doctor in New York, it was immediately clear that Tina was in real trouble.

She had been so hopeful about bringing her young stallion out at Grand Prix in Florida, and I think she was already grieving ,now not the death of a horse which she knows only to well the feeling of, but the inevitable time which she knew was about to be lost to a cast on her leg.

At that moment it was clear we needed to find help, so I called our great USET doctor, Orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Craig Ferrell. He is absolutely the best in his field and, as he has helped me more times than I care to remember, I knew he would have the very best advice for Tina. Dr. Ferrell worked his magic and got a top surgeon to see Tina and he operated very quickly to repair the injury.

Now if you know Tina, you know she is an all or nothing kind of person — everything she does is all the way or not at all — and her ankle was no exception! Tina had broken her ankle in NINE places, requiring enough hardware to keep her buzzing at airport security checks into her next lifetime. Further, the doctor made it very clear that her’s would be a very long recovery with months spent placing no weight on that foot. Tina would need help for all of the daily minutia we all mostly take for granted- walking to the bathroom, taking a shower, and for Tina more importantly, taking care of and feeding her animals, not to mention paying the bills for her farm and business. Even with her medical insurance, Tina was unprepared to deal with the huge bills that were collecting and without the capability to even stand and teach, no less ride, her prospects looked bleak indeed.

But thanks to her amazing friends, Tina has made it through the toughest of these times. Friends like Paul and Bruce, two of the most amazing guys I feel lucky to call my friends, as well as Herb and James, were there to make sure she ate, was bathed and nourished, and that her animals and farm were maintained. Other friends like Karin and Tamara, even though they lived elsewhere, were wonderfully supportive in more ways than one, and I know that Tina is extremely thankful to all those who have come to her aid in her moment of need.

Tina is a great trainer and an even greater horse lover, and she will be back in the saddle sooner than we can imagine or probably than the doctors know about, if I know Tina! In the meantime, take a look at her website, tinakonyotdressage.com and if you are looking for that special trainer for that special horse, give her a call. Or simply call or write just to say “hi” and wish her well.

Thanks!
RD

Tags: tina konyat

Posted: Tuesday, February 24th, 2009 at 11:32 pm
Filed under: Everything Horsey