JUNIOR HEADING

CEE SAN DEE SLIDE RECOVERED FROM LYME DISEASE TO WIN A WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP.

BY MEGAN ALPERS, JOURNAL INTERN 

When Michael Brandon sent in the entry forms for the World Show, he wasn’t sure his horse, Cee San Dee Slide, would make it to Oklahoma City. 

“Sandy” had a bad case of Lyme disease and was barely functioning.

“Coming back to the rope-horse futurity here in April, we got home and she just wasn’t right,” said Sandy’s trainer, Les Oswald. “My vets at home did everything they could. A month and a half ago, we finally diagnosed what her problem was.”

Les Oswald (right) won a world championship on Cee San Dee Slide just weeks after the 2000 mare recovered from Lyme disease.

Sandy had been displaying EPM-like symptoms. She was uncoordinated, wobbled and was running a fever. It took her months to begin working again.

“You could just tell she didn’t feel good,” Oswald said. “Three weeks ago, we were just getting back to loping her. So she’s come a long way in three weeks to be shown here.”

Sandy rebounded and has made a 95 percent recovery, according to Oswald. That was enough for her to win the world championship in junior heading.

“She performed to the best of her ability,” Oswald said. “She has been a really good mare to me, and today’s run just felt as good as I could ask her to be.”

Oswald, an AQHA Professional Horseman from Byron, California, bought Sandy two and a half years ago, worked with her and then sold her to Brandon, who lives in San Francisco. Brandon’s other horse, Paybacks Are Double, came in third in the class with Oswald in the saddle.

“He’s kinda my standby horse,” Oswald said of Paybacks Are Double. “I’ve done really well with him this year. I won a futurity on him at Fort Worth. He’s a good horse. To compare the two, he was probably my easiest one to go show.”  

WINNER STATS Horse name: See San Dee Slide Pedigree: Mr Cocoa Chex x Penny San Bar by Peppy San Bar Owner: Michael P Brandon, San Francisco, California Exhibitor/Trainer: Les Oswald, Byron, California Breeder: Carla Odetto, Petaluma, California Total Class Entries: 46 Purse: $31,602 World Champion Prizes: Gold trophy, Montana Silversmiths buckle, Cripple Creek jacket, Tex Tan AQHA spurs, Justin ostrich Tekno Crepe boots, Professional's Choice products, Nutrena feed, neck ribbon