A friend of a rider who is still in intensive care as a result of a fall a fortnight ago wants to raise awareness of horse and rider safety on and off the roads.
Anna Tomson suffered life-changing injuries when her five-year-old mare Berry was spooked by off-road motorbikes, in a wooded area on the Oxfordshire/Berkshire border, and fell on her, on 17 May.
Her friend and livery yard owner Sarah Peters told H&H the 41-year-old eventer has undergone major surgery on the damage caused to her internal organs, as well as her ribs, of which two were shattered and seven more broken in the fall. Berry was unhurt.
About an hour after Anna had left the yard for her ride, she called Sarah.
“I said: ‘are you ok’ and she said no,” Sarah said. “She started to tell me where she was but then the line went dead.”
With only a rough idea of Anna’s location, Sarah and others from the yard went to find her.
“As we got to the end of the drive, some people rang,” she said. “Anna had passed out, with her phone still in one hand, and her horse’s reins in the other.”
They managed to find Anna, and she was taken to hospital, where she remains in intensive care. She also sustained a ruptured aorta and has had pneumonia.
Sarah said unsuccessful attempts have been made to bring Anna round, but she is still on a ventilator. It is not know exactly what the long-term effects will be of the internal injuries she sustained, but Sarah said doctors expect it could take six to 12 months for her to recover.
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Rider suffers life-changing injuries after horse on bridleway spooked by off-road bikes
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So Sarah set up a fundraising page for Anna, which has already raised over £11,500.
“She won’t be able to work for a while, and we don’t know what she’ll need, so this is just saying ‘don’t rush, don’t worry, if you need anything, the money’s there’,” Sarah said.
“We’ve had lovely messages from people wishing her well and as soon as she wakes up, I’ve got the iPad ready so she can see Berry.
“I hope this raises awareness about safety, for everyone.”
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