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Four top US riders battered by falls in one weekend

Karen O\'Connor

Sophie Montagne

8 March, 2010

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Four experienced event riders sustained injuries following falls at The Pine Top Horse Trials in Georgia, USA on 28 February.

Canadian competitor Rebecca Howard suffered multiple injuries when her advanced horse Roquefort was involved in a rotational fall over a vertical gate.

A bystander said the horse “never looked up” approaching the second-to-last fence, but walked away from the fall apparently without injury.

Rebecca, on the other hand, broke both collarbones, several ribs and punctured a lung but is said to be in good spirits and set to leave hospital today.

In a lower section, Jan Byyny took a tumble from her young horse, Wallstread, and was hospitalised for “a concussion with complications”.

She is currently in intensive care but is up and walking around and able to communicate with her family who have requested that her privacy be respected for the time being.

Meanwhile double American Olympic-medallist Karen O’Connor (pictured) had a fall from her youngster Ronaldo and withdrew the rest of her horses following mild concussion.

And advanced Canadian rider Rebecca Lee, who was riding Gold Twist, was taken to hospital, also with concussion.

American Olympic dressage rider Courtney King-Dye is still in a coma after suffering severe head trauma while schooling a horse at home.

It is unclear yet whether the rider was wearing a hat at the time.




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