By Amy Bower Doucette

Updated: 5:14 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2011

Posted: 5:05 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2011

Horse shows are a spectacle of grace and beauty. Each detail is carefully attended to, from the crisp uniforms to the pristine leather saddles.

In the jumping and dressage world, the horses even have their hair braided by people who work all night to make them look spectacular. one of those braiders, Dayna Bordeleau, has been practicing the intricate art for more than 25 years. For the past decade, she has been battling Crohn’s disease. The disease made doing her job difficult, but her love for the horses and the tradition of braiding keep her going.

"When I was in elementary school and junior high, I was in 4-H," Bordeleau said. "one of the things they taught you was grooming and braiding. I learned how to do it correctly, hunter-style, from watching the other braiders. That was back in 1980. Some of those girls are still braiding."

Braiding can be a challenging career choice, especially for someone with a painful and often debilitating disease. Crohn’s is an auto-immune disease that causes the body to attack itself, creating inflammation in the lining of the digestive tract. The intestines often tear, causing pain, diarrhea and bleeding.

"The symptoms of Crohn’s can make any job difficult," Bordeleau said. "you get abdominal pain and cramping and digestive problems. Working at night can make it even more difficult. sometimes finding restroom facilities at the show grounds can be an issue."

Bordeleau had surgery in the summer. She has not worked since August.

"they removed my large intestine," she said. "they were going to reconnect my small intestine to my rectum, but when the surgeons got in there, it was the worst case of Crohn’s they had ever seen. There was so much sickness and inflammation in my body that they couldn’t reattach my intestine. I have to wear a bag now, called an ileostomy. It’s a totally different lifestyle. you have to learn to live life very differently."

Bordeleau hopes to go back to work at the horse shows in February. She is grappling with enormous medical bills.

"The weekly treatment for severe Crohn’s can run in the thousands," she said. "I have insurance, but sometimes insurance just covers a percentage. Having a disease like this can ruin you financially."

Bordeleau’s friends from happy Endings Farm in Wellington held a poker fund-raiser on Monday to help her pay her medical bills. The amount raised is not yet known, but Bordeleau is touched by her friends’ generosity. She hopes the surgery and fund-raiser will begin a new chapter in her life.

"It’s been a long battle," she said. "I’ve had a lot of weight on my shoulders. but this is the first time in 10 years I’ve lived without constant, daily pain. That’s one positive way to look at it. I’m alive and right now, I’m healthy."