Road to RIHS: ‘I broke my jaw and nose, degloved my bottom lip and lost all of my top front teeth’ — rider defies the odds to land two tickets after three successive accidents
(Image credit: Reader image)
Amateur rider Ellie Markey is gearing up to ride her home–produced ex-racehorse in two finals at the 2022 Royal International Horse Show (RIHS) later this month.
The horse in question is 13-year-old Fosters Road (Foz), who won both of his qualifications for the large and amateur riding horse finals at Midland Counties in June. This will be Ellie and Foz’s first time competing at Hickstead.
Foz has been based with Ellie for six years. He raced until he was a four-year-old, when he broke his pelvis. After he was declared fit to race again, the gelding broke his knee and was retired from the track.
“We’ve had lots of fun together doing dressage and some hunting,” says Ellie. “Though I always thought he had potential as a show horse.”
At the beginning of 2022 Ellie had a run of bad luck, as she explains.
“It started with a lorry ramp landing on me after the spring broke. I went to hospital a few days later and found out I’d bruised my kidneys. I then got kicked in the hand and required surgery. A little while later I got kicked in the face and an ambulance had to be called. I broke my jaw and nose, degloved my bottom lip and lost all of my top front teeth.”
“This all happened within two months. At the time, I remember saying to my Mum that I was unsure if I ever wanted to see a horse again, but after a week of being bed-ridden I’d had enough and needed to see my horses. Three weeks after I was out of hospital I was back in the saddle.
“I’m still waiting for some of the feeling to come back in my face and I still don’t have my teeth. I also developed a secondary infection, so healing has been an ongoing process.”
Foz was “as good as gold” for Ellie during her recovery.
“It was so surreal to qualify,” she adds. “It was a particularly cold day at Midland Counties and I was in a lot of pain, but we cracked on and he went superbly well. He won three classes on the day and was overall reserve section champion.
“The only downer is I couldn’t smile for the pictures as I’m still missing my teeth!”
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