Answered Prayers: Braden Johns Snaffle Bit Futurity Injury Update

Reined cow horse and cutting horse trainer Braden Johns continues to undergo treatment at a Fort Worth hospital for injuries he received during a bad wreck at the National Reined Cow Horse Association (NRCHA) Snaffle Bit Futurity.

Johns, of Scottsdale, Ariz., arrived at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital following the Oct. 14 incident with bleeding in his brain stem, a broken clavicle and broken ribs, according to his fiancé, Hannah Swanbom.

Though he was initially unconscious after the accident, Swanbom said he is now off a ventilator and has recently opened his eyes. As he has regained his respiratory function he has also started responding to nurses when they ask him to move his hands and feet, she said.

“The doctors were really encouraged with all of his vital signs and how everything looks,” she said. “Yesterday when he was doing occupational therapy sitting on the side of the bed, he had both eyes open. It didn’t last very long but it’s a very encouraging sign that those eyes are opening.”

This morning, Oct. 31, Braden was moved from the intensive care unit to another floor of the hospital, Swanbon said he’ll undergo assessments for a a possible placement in a Texas neurological rehabilitation program.

Daily Improvement  Riders from the Snaffle Bit Futurity signed a boot used as a centerpiece during the finals draw party for his hospital room. * Photo by Hannah Swanbom

One of his injuries affected his brain stem, which connects the brain to the spinal cord and controls vital functions in the body.

“The mid brain stem controls all of the things we take for granted,” Swanbom said. “Your breathing and your regulatory system, your temperature, making sure the rest of your body is working correctly.”

His parents, as well as his finance, Hannah Swanbom, have been staying with him in Fort Worth.

Now breathing on his own, Johns does occupational therapy as well as physical therapy every day and sits in a neuro chair for up to seven hours a day.  The chair sits his up, similar to a recliner, and has a platform that stimulates the feet by putting some pressure on them.

Swanbom said he’s much more alert when he’s in the chair and has begun to move his legs more and lift his heels up. They are also using familiar smells and sounds to encourage Braden’s brain activity.

“We play music, and he, I know he can hear everything we’re saying. It’s like, ‘better be careful what you say. He can hear you’, and he’ll probably come back and remind us. We’ve also been doing some other sensory like with a horse brush and some coat conditioner that was his favorite smell. So he’s got a horse brush in there, and he does react when I spray it on the brush,” she said.

Healing Through Horses

The plan is to take the sensory activities to another level this weekend. Along with his physical therapists, Swanbom has enlisted the help of local cutting horse trainer Kory Pounds to bring a horse to the hospital.

“His physical therapists have been working on getting approval for a horse to come so we could maybe do some therapy with a horse and stimulate the brain and bring some of that back,” she said. “I don’t know how often that has happened here but we had reached out to a couple of therapy places and we hadn’t had any luck yet to get a horse up here. So I called Kory today, and I said, ‘Do you have a horse like we could bring to the hospital on Saturday?’ And he’s like, ‘It’s done. I’ll be there. What time?’”

Cow Horse Community

Kory hasn’t been the only person who has answered a call like that. Although Swanbom and the rest of the family never asked, their needs were meet by helping hands from across the nation.

Pepi Coat Conditioner and a brush in Braden’s hospital room. * Photo by Hannah Swanbom

“Fortunately, people have been so generous and have been helping us take care of things back in Scottsdale, and the horses that were here, getting them trailered home,” Swanbom explained.

The horse community is strong both in Fort Worth and Scottsdale that the list of people Swanbon wants to thank is long.

Carol Williamson, Shaleah Hester, Cass Tatum, Kyle Noyce, Richard Winters, Lee Deacon, Taylor Gillespie, Kory Pounds, Ron and LaDona Emmons, Clark Weaver, Lucy and Trey Pool, Allison Bowen and Jay Manning are just a few names on the list of people who’ve helped the family during this challenging time.

“I have messages from folks, they don’t even know Braden. They don’t even know me but they’ve heard his story and they’re praying and it just keeps us strong. I know that Braden continues to receive their prayers and God is working his miracle on him,” Swanbom said. “It’s been a couple times when the doctors are like, ‘We’re not really sure why this is happening,’ and it’s for a good thing and I tell everybody, ‘That’s okay. It’s a God thing.’”

Along with physical help from friends and family, a Go Fund Me was started to help cover the costs of Braden’s hospital bills. People can still donate there if they feel called to assist financially.

“When the worst thing in your life has happened, folks just step up and create stuff. It’s just a blessing,” Swanbom said. “More than anything, I would just love their prayers.”

Braden’s Horse

Jesse Spence also answered a call when he was asked to catch ride Jewel Rey Von in the Limited Open Finals. The stallion, bred by Sneed-Pool Cattle Co. Inc., and Spence rode to a composite of 607 (208 herd/ 205 rein/ 194 cow) in the finals. They pulled a check for $1,000 for owner Chloe Smith.

“I’m just grateful for the opportunity that people thought highly enough of me to allow me to show that horse for him,” Spence said.

He explained that a mutual friend of his and Johns had volunteered Spence for the ride. He wished he could’ve made the finals under better circumstances. Spence rode three horses after Braden’s wreck in the preliminary rounds so he saw it happen from the T.V. screen in the warmup pen.  He said that he tried to not let the wreck unsettle him as he prepared for the fence work, but the pressure was on when it came to showing Jewel Rey Von in the finals.

“There’s always extra stuff going through your head in a situation like that,” Spence said. “You’re not wanting to let down another guy who trained that horse and the owners you just met. I tried to show the exact same if it was one that I had trained. I’m sure there’s something a little extra but I probably put more pressure on myself than anybody else would.”

Spence said he met the horse’s owner, Chloe Smith, at the show and she made him feel better about the situation.

“She was super cool and just happy her horse was going to be able to get shown,” he said

The horse Braden was riding when the injury happened is doing well now. It was sore for a few days but did not have any major injuries according to Swanbom. Braden was also training two horses for the National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) Futurity. Cass Tatum has agreed to accept the task of continuing the training and showing Hawks Genuine Duel (EBR Kitty Hawk x Little Tappinrey x Dual Rey) and PRF Empire (Stevie Rey Von x PRF Perfection x One Time Pepto) at the NCHA Futurity.