Members of the harness racing industry are rallying to support a fallen rider and her retired Standardbreds after a car accident left her incapacitated.
Elyse Leduc, 22 of Dundas, Ont., was involved in a head-on collision on Ontario's Hwy. 6 last Monday.
“She has two broken arms, two broken legs. She has a ruptured kidney which she’s already had surgery for, fractured ribs,” Leduc's friend Alyssa Patcheson told CHCH News. Despite the severity of her injuries, all Leduc has been asking about are her two equine friends -- retired Standardbreds that go by the names of Prada and Peanut.
Given that Leduc is still in intensive care, her horses will be without their primary caregiver for up to possibly a year. Tiffany Stein is another friend of Leduc's, and has started to campaign on Facebook for donations to establish an auction to help offset the cost of care and boarding.
"Elyse’s horses are her life and they’re costly to keep,” Stein told CHCH. “I’ve had donations of custom equine artwork, massage therapy, photo shoots, clothing. Some really amazing donations so far.”