‘Where did I go?’ eventer pens book about recovery from brain injury
A former four-star event rider who suffered a traumatic brain injury has written a book about her recovery.
Polly Williamson had a serious fall from a young horse in December 2011.
She was riding at home on her yard in Malmesbury, Wilts, when the horse slipped, fell and panicked when he couldn’t get up.
One of his hooves caught Polly on her head and she also broke three vertebrae.
She spent a month in hospital and three months in a rehabilitation unit at Frenchay Hospital in Bristol.
The book — titled Where Did I Go? — follows how she relearnt to walk and think following the accident.
Polly revealed the news about her new book on social media on Thursday (10 December).
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
“Two years ago Alison Booth turned to me and said ‘you should write a book’,” Polly said.
“We were talking briefly about my accident so I went home and started to write.”
After finishing a first draft, she shelved the idea while she began her return to teaching.
This summer, Polly sent the manuscript to three publishing houses.
The former junior and young rider European eventing champion has now signed a deal with publishers Crumps Brown Studio, who will be releasing it as an eBook in March and in paperback in April.
Polly will also be speaking at charity Headway — the Brain Injury Association’s conference in March.
“Thank you all for your generous comments,” she said.
She added that writing came easily, but talking about it will be much harder.
During her competitive career, Polly won a total of six gold medals at junior and young rider European level.
She was ninth in her first Badminton in 1989 at the age of 20 and was also on the British squad that competed at the European Eventing Championships at Burghley that year.
Polly continues to train riders from Pony Club up to international level.
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.