Bynum and Maverick have been dealing with a series of injuries since September, when he was diagnosed with a fractured vertebra and a left stifle injury. Both problems had apparently fixed in November when the duo won the 1D title at the Barrelnanza Finals, and followed up in December with a great showing in the Sweepstakes at the BFA World Championships, but for Bynum, things were still not quite right.
“Maverick’s speed is his virtue,” Bynum said. “The barrels weren’t very good, but he ran so fast that I would place. That’s kind of been the deal. He was winning, but nobody believed me that something was still wrong.”
In January, Maverick was diagnosed with a deep flexor strain that caused he and Bynum to vet out of the Circuit Finals, as well as the Denver and Odessa rodeos. Follow-up exams in March revealed that Maverick’s original stifle injury had not completely healed, there was cartilage damage to the outside joint of the stifle and tears in his seisamoid.
Maverick is expected to make a complete recovery, but will be sidelined for the next 6-8 months.
“They think he’ll make a full comeback, so it will be a nice break,” Bynum said. “He hasn’t had a day off since he was 4 years old. I just wanted to let people know what was going on. I’m not quitting, or anything like that!”
Bynum plans to spend the rest of 2010 running a few outside horses, training a crop of 3-year-olds and seasoning her 5-year-old standout, Otta Have Money (“Money”).
“He’s probably one of the very best colts I’ve had in a very long time,” Bynum said. “He’s kind of a combination of Maverick and Cadillac (Cadillacs N Karats), so I am really excited about him.
“I really want to get him good and solid for next year because I really think with him and Maverick, I can definitely have something.”
Bynum said it was important to her to give her fans the real answer about she and Maverick’s future.
“I had read a couple of threads and people had been asking me where we were and where Maverick was,” she said, “so I just wanted to let people know what was really going on.”
