A rider who returned to the saddle aged 73 after a neck operation, crippling arthritis and two hip replacements said if her story inspires anyone else to ride again, it will “make her very happy”.
Angela Fallowfield, from Dorset, had thought she would not ride again, but having recovered from her surgery, started riding her granddaughter’s pony Autumn last year.
“I was inspired by The Queen – I thought if she can ride, at 90-something, then so can I!” Mrs Fallowfield told H&H.
“I’ve had two cataract operations too – there’s not much of the original me left – and I did think ‘that’s it now, I’m in my 70s’; I really didn’t think I’d ride again.”
Mrs Fallowfield has spent her life with horses; she was first pictured in the saddle when she was 13 months old. And although her marriage and children put her riding on hold temporarily, she always returned to the saddle.
“About 20 years ago, I had a stupid accident with my horse on a bridleway,” she said. “He had a funny trip and I wrenched my neck, and he injured his fetlock and had to be put down.
“I had to have an operation, which stopped me riding for a while, but by then my elder daughter was riding quite seriously, and when she had children, I rode her horse.
Horse & Hound Newsletter
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
“My doctor told me not to ride after my neck operation, but I thought, blow that!”
Mrs Fallowfield kept riding, her horses “getting smaller”, as she moved on to her older granddaughter’s 14.2hh.
“But then the arthritis got so bad, I couldn’t get on or off,” she said. “By last March, I was absolutely crippled; I could barely walk, so I had the first hip replacement.
“That went so well, and I was walking with a stick within two weeks, and I had the other one done four and a half months later.”
In October 2018, it was too dark for Mrs Fallowfield’s younger granddaughter Molly to ride her 14.2hh mare Autumn after school.
“I’d seen The Queen riding and mumbled about it myself, then my daughter said: ‘why don’t you come up and ride her?” she said.
“I thought I couldn’t but found I still could; I’ve been riding ever since. Nothing very exciting, but I’m back on a horse. There’s nothing like the feel of the reins between your fingers.
“We’re a very horsey family so I’ve been involved with them all the time but there’s nothing quite like being back on board. If my story helps just one person ride again when they thought it was impossible, I shall be very happy!”
For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.
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
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.
