California Riding Magazine • April, 2010

Courtney King-Dye
Olympian in a coma
after riding fall in Florida.

Olympic dressage rider Courtney King Dye has been in a coma since falling from one of her horses during a schooling session March 3 in Loxahatachee, FL. Her husband Jason Dye has regularly posted reports on www.courtneykingdressage.com since the incident, including the good news that she was able to get off the ventilator March 12 and is breathing on her own.

He reports an outpouring of love and support for his wife and encourages fans to send their messages to Courtney via e-mail: comebackcourt@gmail.com or regular mail: Courtney Dye, 2442 Muir Circle, Wellington, FL 33414. The messages are being read to the rider by friends and family, while cards, pictures and encouraging words fill her hospital room.

Courtney’s husband, Jason Dye, says: “This is the wall at the foot of
Courtney’s hospital bed, and it has overflowed to the other walls -
the nurses have all said they have never seen anything like it!“

“Courtney remains in her coma, her condition is stable and she has done great with breathing off the ventilator,” wrote Jason Dye in a March 16 post. “They will monitor her progress this week and make a decision when to move her to the step down unit, which is the forward progression for patients who no longer need intensive care.” Two days later, he relayed that she was able to open her eyes and follow an object’s movement for a short period of time. Her favorite was a picture of her dog Viva.

“Thanks again for all the cards sent in and messages of support,” Dye wrote. “We are nearing 1,000, which have all been printed and filed by our good friend Duane from New Zealand, who hopped a flight north when he heard the news.

“Keep sending healing energy Court’s way.”

The Dyes have not asked for donations, but their medical expenses will be big and the equestrian community has already stepped forward. On March 16, friends staged a benefit during the Top Shelf Dressage Under The Stars competition. King-Dye’s working student Morgan Heinrichs rode a freestyle in her honor and the Olympian’s longtime coach Lendon Gray came to judge an event and update fans on her status. Seventeen thousand dollars was raised during the evening and most wore green ribbons, denoting brain injuries, in King-Dye’s honor.

Proceeds from the sale of $30 “Come Back Court” t-shirts will go toward her medical expenses. The shirts can be purchased at
www.etsy.com.

Monitor www.courtneykingdressage.com for the latest, hopefully good, news.