Five-star rider recovering from spinal surgery after fall from muck trailer

Five-star eventer Louise Harwood is facing a spell on the sidelines as she recovers from spinal surgery for a non-riding injury.

On 15 June Louise was poo-picking at home and fell off a muck-trailer when emptying a wheelbarrow.

“I’d persuaded my youngest niece and some kiddies from the village to help poo-pick. I was tipping my wheelbarrow and the trailer was quite full so I was right on the top, and I fell off the back,” she said.

“The day before I won at Nunney with Native Spirit, and the others got some rosettes, so I was really happy about that. It was a great day and I was on top form, then this happened.

“I’m feeling rather foolish; to ride all those big jumps and do all the crazy things that I do, and then I fall off the back of my muck trailer, you have to laugh about it don’t you?”

Louise, who was briefly knocked unconscious, was airlifted to hospital where it was confirmed that she had sustained a fractured skull, ribs, shoulder blade, and some vertebrae. The following day she underwent spinal surgery.

“I got home yesterday, and I need to stay in a neck and body brace for six weeks. After that I’ll have more X-rays to check everything is looking all right, then hopefully they’ll give me the all-clear to start doing a bit more stuff. I can’t start physio yet until the brace comes off,” she said.

“It’s great to be out of hospital and see the animals and just to be able to move a bit more. As I start to get better I’ll get bored but I’ll find things to do like tidying up and tack cleaning, and hopefully some teaching. But it’s frustrating not to be out eventing.”

Louise, who enjoyed her eighth Badminton completion in May, said her mum Jackie and her oldest niece Amber are keeping the yard ticking over.

“We’ll make a plan, the horses will do some work, ready to hopefully go eventing again,” said Louise.

Louise added that she will need to start planning her next fundraising activity for the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity.

“Each time I’ve been hooked off in a helicopter I’ve tried to do a fundraiser to try and pay them back, as they don’t receive any Government funding. I’ve run the London Marathon, and another time I did a bike ride, so I’ll be thinking of the next one,” she said.

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