An unexpected happening last week brought one woman from California across the nation to Freeborn County.

Early in the morning of Sept. 25, about a week ago, Deborah Davies of northwestern Los Angeles received a phone call saying that her show horse, Punch Line — who she calls Punch Munch — had a severe laceration at the center of his forehead. The laceration was so deep that some of his skull visible from the exterior, Davies said.

Punch Munch was in the process of being transported from New Jersey to California through a contracted transporter when the injury was found.

Davies said she still does not know exactly how the injury occurred.

Her daughter, Carolyn, had been in shows with the horse; however, Carolyn recently went to Buenos Aires, Brazil, so Davies decided to take the horse back to California.

At the time of the injury, the horse and its transporter were near Freeborn County, and Dr. Mike Bjorklund of the Clarks Grove Waseca Veterinary Clinic was on call for animal emergencies.

He looked at the horse and determined the injury was probably already five or six hours old, which made stitching up the laceration a little more difficult, Davies said.

“He was not sure about him,” she said. “He had lost so much blood. He asked, ‘Do you really want to do this?’”

She assured him she did. This all took place by phone.

He had to give Punch Munch anesthesia and then stitched up the injury and gave him some antibiotics. Though Bjorklund was supposed to be on vacation all this week, he’s been checking up on the horse almost every day, she said.

Davies arrived in Clarks Grove earlier this week.

She said the area around the lacerations is continually being drained, and she’s hoping Punch Munch will be able to go home by Thanksgiving. He’s improving a little each day.

She estimated the horse has lost 100 pounds during the time of the transport and the injury.

She’s requesting some additional blood work be completed.

When the horse gets to go home, she said, she’ll probably end up transporting him personally because she’s afraid of him getting hurt again.

Punch Munch, a former event horse, is in the intermediate show category just below the Olympic level.

Davies said she bought the horse when it was 16, and it is now 21. She described Punch Munch as a “sweet, sweet horse.”

She said she is grateful the Clarks Grove facility is able to help larger animals like her horse, as many veterinarian clinics only include care for smaller animals such as dogs and cats.

“We’re really grateful to Dr. Mike,” Davies said. “We’re glad we ended up here of all places.”