A rider is urging others to always wear a safety helmet after having a serious fall at a team chase.
Holly Haward of Eye, Suffolk, was competing in the novice class at the Essex and Suffolk hunt team chase in Semer, Ipswich, earlier this month (1 November).
The horse she was riding, Jack, had a rotational fall at a fence towards the end of the course and Holly was crushed underneath him.
The 15.2hh piebald gelding was not injured in the fall and Holly was treated by event paramedics.
She had some concussion but was otherwise unharmed.
“It was one of the smallest jumps on the whole course,” she told H&H. “Everything had been going fine until then and he was jumping nicely.
“I can’t really remember what happened but he hardly took off. It felt like he was on top of me for ages, but in reality it was probably only a matter of seconds.
Horse & Hound Newsletter
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
“I have never come off him before and he does everything. It reminds you that they are not machines.”
Holly’s riding hat absorbed the impact of her fall, saving her from far more serious injury
(Image credit: creditUnknown)
Holly credits her hat, a Dublin Onyx helmet, for saving her from a more serious injury.
“We cut open the hat afterwards to see the damage and it was completely broken inside — lots of people have said it could have been my skull if I had not had a hat on.
“I want to stress to others the importance of wearing a hat,” added the 29-year-old. “So many people still jump on without one.”
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
Rachael joined Horse & Hound in 2014, initially as a digital sub editor then became part of the news team as a writer in 2015. The philosophy graduate studied journalism at the Press Association before working as a local reporter at the Brentwood Gazette. Rachael is now a mum of two and still loves all things equestrian, including hacking, dressage and jumping with her cob Bert. Rachael left the H&H staff to go freelance in June 2019, but still contributes to our magazine and website, as well as our sister magazine Country Life, among others.
