| Complaint: | Complaint 21-12 |
|---|---|
| Respondent: | Christine McCormick |
| Premises: | Copper Ridge Equine |
| Related: | 21-13 |
The complainant says her horse and the foal died after their case was grossly mishandled due to obvious incompetence and negligence on the part of the McCormicks; she says that she could no longer ride the horse in question but that the horse was her family and soul mate and she wanted to raise and ride her foal. She says she was lucky to get world champion stallion breeding for the horse and looked forward to the future.
We're told that the foal should have had a stomach tube inserted to help with feeding. Instead she says that the foal wouldn't eat, aspirated milk, and even has a picture of the foal with his head stuck in a bucket of milk. She says that Christine McCormick eventually put in a tube but it was too late by then. At some point Christine McCormick also allegedly tried to resuscitate the foal and sent for a tech to go get oxygen; the tech allegedly didn't make it back until after the foal had died, dragging a huge oxygen tank on a dolly. The complainant also says that Christine McCormick aborted the CPR and came to her in a state of panic about the milk in the lungs; she wonders why someone would walk off in the middle of CPR. The complainant also finds it unbelievable that a clinic like Copper Ridge Equine doesn't have more portable oxygen tanks. She also has some concerns about lack of monitoring where the horses were kept, cooling fans shut off, and so on.
When she brought the dead foal back she wanted to let the mother horse say goodbye. Christine McCormick allegedly told the complainant no as the mother horse wasn't attached at all to the foal because she didn't nurse the foal. The complainant said that McCormick was wrong and that the horse loved her baby; when she saw the dead foal we're told the horse was very upset. The complainant subsequently asked if she could stay with the mother horse so she didn't feel lonely; McCormick told her not to that as well. Apparently later that night the horse's incision ripped open and the mother horse died as well. The complainant says Christine McCormick subsequently called her and said they found the horse dead after one of their three-hour checks. The complainant says she's not paying the bill after what happened to her horses.
Christine McCormick has a response written just about her case. She says that she warned the complainants from the beginning that the foal could die; she says that there were likely to be developmental problems because the foal was overdue. She also contests that the foal died from aspirating milk for days on end; rather, McCormick says the foal died from a single incident of milk aspiration that occured at 3:30 PM on May 10, 2020. We're also told that the foal's nutrition was meticulously monitored. McCormick also says that she followed proper CPR procedures and the oxygen was only intended to be used if the foal revived, which he never did. She says that CPR was never interrupted "but only to strongly encourage the complainant to get off the phone." She also tells us that she agreed to let the mother horse say goodbye to the dead foal, but criticizes the horse's mothering skills as "there were absent signs in normal fetal-maternal bonding behavior." Lastly, she says that the horse didn't suddenly drop dead from evisceration; she says that takes hours to occur and that didn't add up in this case. She does say that the incision had popped open some and a bit of colon was exposed, but she also claims that her husband, Justin McCormick, has performed over 1000 abdominal surgeries over the past five years without a single incisional failure. Lastly, she says that they did an internal investigation and found they did nothing wrong with the horses; that means it's time to pay up. The complainant allegedly threatened to go to social media instead.
A separate letter from both Christine and Justin is included as a response to both this complaint and the subsequent complaint. It's basically more or less a rehash of what the letter from Christine says, with the exception that they say part of the problem may stem from one of the complainants being deaf. They state that one of the complainants had to speak to the other using only American Sign Language. This, they believe, could mean that their medical terminology was not being understood and "potentially altered in communication." We're told that the horse was referred to them by Alyssa Butler, that the horse had not given birth, that they would do a Caesarean, and that the foal would likely need intensive care. They also said that they offered a necropsy but were turned down, and they lament that the complainants won't work with them to pay the bill. Christine and Justin say that the entire experience was "honestly emotionally wrecking for us." (It was likely more emotionally wrecking for those horses.)
The Investigative Committee said that it was a difficult case but that taking care of newborns is "rather dynamic." They also said that the care provided was appropriate and that you wouldn't use a tube in this case. Rather, much like the McCormicks, they say that the complainants didn't understand what was being said or what was going on, particularly when they're emotionally distraught. They also said that the staff members said the stall where the horse died wasn't really that much of a mess, and the Committee members helpfully point out that what's a mess to one person isn't necessarily a mess to someone else.
A lot of really bad things happen to horses in Arizona. In another case where a horse dropped dead with blood and guts all over the place post-surgery, the Committee suggested that the horse trainer may have driven too hard; see 21-71.
We reached out to one of the complainants in this case to learn more. That interviewee provided us with some disturbing insights into the matter along with a copy of a letter submitted by the horse's breeder, a witness to the events of that day. Perhaps most disturbingly, the interviewee's account and the letter both suggest continued deceptive behavior on the part of the McCormicks' practice similar to that alleged in 18-124.
The breeder's letter largely corroborates the complainant's story. The breeder was able to view the procedure and believed the procedure "went well at that time." The breeder and the complainant were subsequently not permitted to view the procedure once the foal was removed and they awaited news for 45 minutes. She relates that upon seeing the foal it was obvious the foal would need significant additional attention to survive (something the breeder relates had been done on their own part in many other cases) but McCormick's team did not appear to be concerned.
The breeder also identifies other concerns related to the feeding of the foal. When the foal began aspirating fluid, the breeder relates that she specifically heard the vet (McCormick) yell at one of the complainants to get off the phone with her. She also relates that she had subsequently learned the mare had also died, allegedly from a heart attack or possible aneurysm. She checked with one of the veterinary technicians working for McCormick who allegedly indicated that, in reality, the mare had been found in her "stall dead with her guts hanging out." The breeder concludes her letter that in her experience neither of these lives would have been lost with proper care.
The interviewee's account states that there are other individuals (not including those listed in our complaints) concerned with McCormick's practices but were too afraid to report them to the vet board. She also corroborates the information provided in the breeder's letter, including concerns about a three-hour gap of time after the mare died; the breeder had suggested this time could have been used to clean up the mess from the dead horse. The interviewee also relates that McCormick told her the horse would be taken away to the horse cemetery, but a follow-up call to the person who took the horse informed her the horse was just dumped at the landfill.
| Source: | December 12, 2020 AM Investigative Committee Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| Christine McCormick | Respondent |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Roll Call: | |
| Adam Almaraz | Aye |
| Amrit Rai | Aye |
| Brian Sidaway | Aye |
| Cameron Dow | Aye |
| Result: | Passed |
| Source: | February 2, 2021 Board Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Proposed By: | Darren Wright |
| Seconded By: | Sarah Heinrich |
| Roll Call: | |
| Darren Wright | Aye |
| J Greg Byrne | Absent |
| Jane Soloman | Nay |
| Jessica Creager | Nay |
| Jim Loughead | Nay |
| Nikki Frost | Nay |
| Robyn Jaynes | Nay |
| Sarah Heinrich | Aye |
| Result: | Failed |
| Source: | February 2, 2021 Board Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Proposed By: | Sarah Heinrich |
| Seconded By: | Robyn Jaynes |
| Roll Call: | |
| Darren Wright | Nay |
| J Greg Byrne | Absent |
| Jane Soloman | Aye |
| Jessica Creager | Aye |
| Jim Loughead | Aye |
| Nikki Frost | Aye |
| Robyn Jaynes | Aye |
| Sarah Heinrich | Aye |
| Result: | Passed |
| Source: | March 3, 2021 Board Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| Christine McCormick | Respondent |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Proposed By: | J Greg Byrne |
| Seconded By: | Robyn Jaynes |
| Roll Call: | |
| Darren Wright | Absent |
| J Greg Byrne | Aye |
| Jane Soloman | Aye |
| Jessica Creager | Aye |
| Jim Loughead | Aye |
| Nikki Frost | Aye |
| Robyn Jaynes | Aye |
| Sarah Heinrich | Absent |
| Result: | Passed |
The primary source for the above summary was obtained as a public record from the Arizona State Veterinary Medical Examining Board. You are welcome to review the original records and board meeting minutes by clicking the relevant links. While we endeavor to provide an accurate summary of the complaint, response, investigative reports and board actions, we encourage you to review the primary sources and come to your own conclusions. In some cases we have also been able to reach out to individuals with knowledge of specific complaints, and where possible that information will be included here.