Bryan of Taylor Made Farm Dies at 33

Josh Bryan, a valued member of the Taylor Made Farm team who was instrumental in launching the farm's School of Horsemanship to help people recovering from substance abuse, died April 22. Bryan was 33. Bryan died several days after undergoing a seven-hour surgery at the University of Kentucky Chandler Medical Center to rebuild his jaw. He had endured a lifetime of mental and physical challenges having been born with a Goldenhar syndrome, a rare deformity marked by an underdeveloped jaw, cheekbone, and temple bone coupled with underdeveloped facial muscles on one side of the face. During a 2022 interview with BloodHorse, Bryan said he'd gone through 14 separate reconstruction surgeries beginning when he was seven weeks old. Most recently, the mobility of his jaw had become increasingly restrictive, making it difficult to eat and speak, according to Frank Taylor, director of new business development at Taylor Made. The surgery was successful but Bryan suffered complications four days later. "It has been a blow to everyone," said Taylor. "Anyone who was around Josh was inspired by him. He was born with this deformity and went through a lot of suffering from it, but fought through it his whole life." In addition to his physical challenges, Bryan suffered the loss of both parents in a relatively short period of time, one in 2012 and one in 2014. He turned to alcohol to numb the physical and psychological pain. "The surgeries, losing my parents, it all just snowballed, and then the drinking made it 10 times worse," Bryan told BloodHorse. In August 2020, he joined the Shepherd's House recovery program in Lexington, and while there, he worked for eight months in Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital's surgery department so he could learn more about horse anatomy. After graduating from Shepherd's House in August 2021, he had a full-time job waiting back at Taylor Made. When Frank Taylor created the farm's pilot horsemanship training program, he knew Bryan was the one to manage the new venture. The School of Horsemanship continues to be a part of a program called Stable Recovery, a peer-driven therapeutic community for addiction recovery. "Being put in this position has humbled me and really been vital to my recovery," Bryan told BloodHorse. "It has shown me that I can help other people through my story of strength and hope. I have come to the point where I'm OK with who I am and comfortable to be in my own skin. You realize you can really do anything if you put your mind to it." Taylor said Bryan was thriving personally and professionally. "Once he got sober and got his faith, he was unbelievable," Taylor said. "He gave back and helped so many people. He had been sponsoring four guys going through AA (Alcoholics Anonymous). No question he went out on top, and, in my mind, he's gone straight to heaven."