After a disappointing Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro that ended with a retirement on cross-country, Clark Montgomery is back in the United States with Loughan Glen. But the gelding won’t be back out this season because he underwent surgery to remove a bone chip in his knee.

Montgomery, 35, had a strong preparation in England this spring with “Glen” and won the Land Rover Great Meadow CICO*** (Va.) in July, but after an uncharacteristic dressage test and two stops on cross-country in Rio, he knew something was wrong.

He revealed that Glen had a bone chip in his knee when he did a pre-purchase exam on the gelding as a 5-year-old.

“[I] couldn’t stress enough that it has never caused a moment of discomfort in his eight-year eventing career,” he said. “Bone chips are funny things, and everyone will tell you that if it’s stable and not affecting the horse’s comfort or soundness, don’t bother it, so we never did.”

Now 13, the Irish Sport Horse (Limerick—Tattymacall Mustard, Cut The Mustard) had the chip removed by Larry Bramlage, DVM, Dipl. ACVS, at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital (Ky.) after he cleared quarantine in Miami in August. He is now recovering well at Montgomery’s new base in Delaplane, Va.

“After his totally uncharacteristic performance at the Games, we knew that there was something that had to be aggravating him and discovered that the chip had fractured and become a fragment,” said Montgomery. “[Bramlage is] a legend in the surgical world and specializes in knees. They were able to squeeze Glen in within a couple of days of his release from quarantine, so we jumped on it. The surgery went well, and the prognosis is positive, so we are optimistic about his recovery.” 

Glen will be off for another two weeks and will start under-saddle walking work and build from there with plans to come back out in the spring.

Montgomery said he’s had a lot of time to reflect on his Olympic experience and believes that traveling from England to the United States to compete at Great Meadow and then shipping to Ocala, Fla., for training camp may have been tough on the horse.

“Once selected for the team, the U.S. Equestrian Federation elected to bring me stateside, I think to try to break the trip up a little bit for Glen. In hindsight it may have been better for him to have traveled direct from [England] to Rio but, as they say, hindsight is 20/20,” he said. “They did everything in their power to keep him happy while he was in so much transition. We had preventative GastroGard, Standlee hay the whole way, and [team veterinarian] Dr. [Susan] Johns was ready at a moment’s notice with anything we needed, including special shampoo for his skin when it got bumpy in the heat.” 

For the last year, Clark and his wife Jessica Montgomery have been thinking about coming back to the United States after being based in England since 2013. 

“I feel like I have accomplished what I wanted to by being in England, which was to learn to be competitive against the top guys, and what that takes. The hard truth is that no matter how talented you are, it takes horses and support to be successful, and I need more of both,” said Clark. “The British are fantastic about supporting the British riders, but I was really struggling to gain owners from there. I’m hoping that by being back in the States, I can connect with more people who want to be a part of this awesome sport, and all of the places that it takes us. It also goes without saying that since having our daughter Vivian almost a year ago, we have felt a greater need to spend more time with our families. It’s a win/win for everybody.”

Clark and Jessica met Dave and Patricia Vos at Great Meadow and are now based at their Crosswinds Farm, which boasts an arena, a gallop and a cross-country field. 

“They are the nicest people and immediately offered for us to come here this fall. We feel so fortunate to have landed in such a beautiful place,” said Clark.

Clark brought his other four-star horse Universe back from England, as well as the 7-year-old Engapore, who’s competed to the British novice level.

“I’m hoping to expand on my string quite quickly,” he said. “With the [2018 FEI World Equestrian Games] quickly approaching, I am keeping my eye out for horses that are already going, as well as quality young horses. Having a string that is diverse in age is ideal.”