Five-hour Femur Reconstruction A Success
September 8, 2006
Four-time Canadian champion ladies barrel racer Deb Renger (Okotoks, Alta.), had surgery this morning after shattering her femur. The accident happened while entering the arena to make her run during the slack on Thursday, September 7 at the Puyallup Rodeo, held in Puyallup, Wash.
Renger was riding a 16-year-old horse nicknamed Frucon down the alley, and as the pair went to make the right corner that leads into the arena, her horse took off, inadvertently slamming Renger’s right thigh into the corner of a metal panel lining the alley.
Renger, was rushed to the nearby Good Samaritan Hospital where x-rays were performed.
She was then transferred to the Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where surgeons began the process of rebuilding her femur at approximately 7:00 a.m. this morning.
Following the surgery, Renger advised that it was a success and that she had been assigned a room at Harborview to recuperate from the procedure.
Renger will be staying in Washington until she is able to travel back to Canada. Her husband, Gord, has been notified and is making plans to travel to his wife’s side as soon as possible.
This has been a trying year for Renger. Her main horse, Reiner, was injured during the Hermiston Rodeo, forcing her to continue her season aboard Frucon.
She is currently fourth in the Canadian barrel racing standings and tenth in the world standings. There is no word yet on whether further surgeries will be needed or when she will be ready to compete.
