A rider and trainer whose life changed in an instant when a horse’s kick shattered her face and caused catastrophic damage to her optic nerves said she woke up three days later thinking “I’m going to go to the Paralympics”.
The equestrian community has rallied round Catherine Robinson, who ran a business backing and training horses, and who lost her vision permanently as a result of the accident last Monday (27 October). A fundraising page set up to support her has so far raised over £90,000.
“This heartbreaking event has turned her world upside down,” said Catherine’s friend Melissa Stone, who set up the page. “Catherine now faces an incredibly long and difficult road to recovery, both physically and emotionally. Despite the trauma she has endured, her strength, courage, and spirit continues to shine through, inspiring everyone who knows her.
“We are fundraising to give Catherine the best possible medical care, rehabilitation, and support she so deeply deserves in hope that she might regain even some sight. Every donation, no matter the amount, will go directly towards her ongoing treatment, recovery, and helping her adapt to her new way of life.”
Catherine told H&H she was taking a young horse into the lunge pen when the accident happened.
“I turned round, and the horse was facing towards me, and I told it to go away from me, to go round the circle, and it just shot towards me and kicked out,” she said. “I was wearing my hat, but it got me just below my hat, into my eye and my nose.”
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Catherine said she remained conscious throughout, and she knew straight away the damage was bad.
“I’ve got quite a lot of breaks,” she said. “Both eye sockets are shattered, my cheekbone, and there was a compound fracture of the brow of my nose. My sight was instantly gone but I suppose at the time, I just didn’t realise. There was a lot of blood and I just assumed it was the swelling, or it didn’t really cross my mind at all.
“It was only when we got to hospital and they got an eye specialist that they told me my right right eye was completely damaged, and they were going to operate on my left eye, more or less, to try to stop it from leaking. I was in surgery for five hours and they did stop it leaking so it looks like a healthy eye but the damage behind it is catastrophic.”
Catherine said she has been told there is no chance she will regain any sight; at the moment, if a bright light goes on she has brief awareness of that in her left eye, but the best-case scenario is that this does not get worse.
She was due to have facial reconstruction surgery on 6 November, as her shattered face was “a bit like a packet of crisps”, but she said the pain was “not terrible”.
She has now had a week or so to process what has happened.
“[Horses] were my everything,” she said. “But I can’t change what’s happened so it’s about taking the best out of a pretty shit situation. I think on day three, my partner and I were sitting in the hospital, and I woke up and thought ‘I’m going to go to the Paralympics’. We’re going to aim to do some para dressage.
“It’s keeping your mind right; I’ve always been an independent person so it’s going to be difficult, of course, but I’ve got a great group of friends and family, so I think we’ve got this sorted.”
Catherine said she wasn’t “totally convinced” by Melissa’s idea to set up the fundraising page at first.
“She works for me; I’ve always called her my right-hand woman, and she just took over and did it, and it’s been amazing,” she said. “Just the support it shows; it’s not about the amount the people are donating, it’s the support, which is amazing. People read the notifications out to me, and it’s so nice, the community has really come together.”
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Eleanor is an experienced journalist who spent over eight years working for local and national newspapers before joining H&H as news editor in March 2016. Passionate about equine welfare and exposing the truth, Eleanor has reported on all aspects of the industry, from Brexit to anti-bullying campaigns, and from dressage rules to mules. Her sport of choice is showjumping, in which she competes her own horses, and she also enjoys reporting at local jumping shows through to international championships.
