Getting Back On The Horse
- Paige Beresford
- Jan 10, 2019
- 3 min read
When 22-year-old Victoria Adams broke her back and her pelvis in a horse riding accident, she had to learn how to walk again. But she didn't let that stop her from doing what she loves.
For some people, going for a hack on a horse is a heady combination of adventure, exhilaration and deep relaxation. There’s no doubt that learning to ride can be a thrilling experience.
Victoria Adams started horse riding when she was five years old. What started off as little pony treks gradually over time progressed to show jumping and dressage competitions. She never lost her passion for the sport over the years.
“I do really like horse riding; it’s something different,” Victoria explains. “I’ve also met a lot of my friends through it.”
But horse riding is a sport that can go downhill quickly when something goes wrong.
Two years ago, Victoria was involved in a bad accident and was threw off her horse. “I was at a show jumping competition and I was just warming up in the practice arena,” Victoria recalls. “I went over one of the practice jumps and cleared it fine. But as I was going to turn another horse was running up towards me, so I knew I was going to crash.”
At the last minute, Victoria switched from going left to going right, and although the horse managed to turn, Victoria didn’t. She fell off her horse and crashed into the wing stand of a jump that held the poles.
“I sort of hobbled up afterwards and limped out of the arena with people carrying me, but as the day went on the pain just got worse and worse until I couldn’t walk at all.”
Victoria’s dad took her to A&E, where she was told by her first doctor that she had some muscle damage. After realising she couldn’t walk, a second doctor requested an x-ray.
“At first they just sent me away but then I realised I couldn’t actually walk. After waiting a few more hours, I got an x-ray. On the x-ray you saw that I had broken my pelvis in two.”
That night Victoria was transferred to a ward and was given morphine, but it didn’t help the pain. It wasn’t until the following day that a third doctor realised there was something else.
“The pain it was just unbearable. The next morning the consultant came around and he instantly picked up on the fact I was in too much pain for the amount of painkillers I’d been given just to have a broken pelvis so he arranged for me to have a CT scan.”
The CT scan showed that not only had Victoria broken her pelvis, but she had broken a bone at the bottom of her back as well.
“It wasn’t easy,” Victoria recalls. “I had to stay in hospital for over a week. I had to be wheelchaired about until I could learn how to walk again using a zimmer frame.”
But during her recovery, Victoria built up her strength and her fitness – she knew she wanted to get back on the horse.
“After learning to walk again I tried to get my fitness because you need a lot of strength to be on a horse. It is a big animal at the end of the day and obviously things go wrong.
“I had fallen off many times before, but I was a bit apprehensive. What if something went wrong? What would I be able to do? Would I hurt myself again?”
Despite her nerves, Victoria has a determination to admire and pushed herself to get lessons again.
“I was a little bit nervous at first because I just wasn’t sure what to expect,” Victoria says.
“It was quite a relief to get back on. I realised that although something bad had happened it doesn’t need to stop you from doing something you enjoy.”
Victoria has been back riding since and has already been jumping again. She has learned how to play polo, been out on treks in the forest and her accident hasn’t stopped her.
“I don’t do it as much but I’m glad that I did go back and get on a horse again. Even if it’s not something I do every week."
"It’s a good achievement to go from not being able to walk to then get back on and know that you can still do it.”
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