Showjumper Billy Twomey back after ‘freak accident’

Irish showjumper Billy Twomey has returned to competing after fracturing his back in a “freak accident”.

Billy, who kept the incident quiet until now, had just been cleared to start riding after back surgery to deal with slipped discs last October, when he fell from a youngster.

“The week before my first show back, in a freak accident at home, one of the young horses spooked,” he said on his website today (25 March).

“In what would have nine times out of 10 been a simple spill, I fractured a vertebra in my back, which put me back on the injured list.”

Billy, who “quietly slipped off” to the Mediterranean Equestrian Tour at Oliva Nova last weekend to make his comeback, says that his back “feels brand new” and he is now looking forward to week two of the competition.

Although he usually keeps fans up to date with the latest news on his website, Billy had remained quiet since January as he had “not been sure of how the recovery would go”.

For the full report from Oliva Nova, see this week’s issue of Horse & Hound (28 March 2013)

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