Riding Accident!

My sister and Allee's amazing horse trainer was giving Allee a lesson this afternoon. Allee's little pony, Major, was having a bit of an attitude during the lesson - probably due to the hot weather. We have noticed some attitude problems with this horse before, but today was worse. So Ashley told Allee to get off and decided to correct Major. She did a few corrective turns and then with no warning he started bucking and threw her off and then proceeded to try and kick her. Now Ash is a truly incredible rider and has ridden many horses much more challenging than this rather small pony. But this feisty little pony caught her by surprise. She hit the ground very hard on her lower back. She was in a great deal of pain that we discovered (after a trip to the ER for x-ray and CT scan) was due to two broken lower lumbar. The part that cracked is the outside tip and the doctor said that it will heal itself with no need for any brace or anything else. But it causes a GREAT deal of pain, and she will be on pain meds and not able to do much for 6 -8 weeks. She plans to get a 2nd opinion from a back specialist to make sure that they are not missing anything that would need further treatment.

So we are incredibly thankful that she was not hurt worse and that this will not cause long-term injury. But we are sad that she is put out for awhile and especially just before her trip to Ethiopia. I just hate that she has to deal with this - she is so awesome to teach her students with such skill and care for each one of them. We are so blessed to have her teach Allee to ride and could not imagine having a better instructor. What is especially ironic about this is that Ash really emphasizes riding safety, makes sure that kids do not progress any faster than they can safely do so, and makes a point to only have safe, well-trained horses. Well, guess who just lost out on that status! Major will soon be finding a new home - he had shown a few slight concerning behaviors before, but with his act today, there is no way that he could be trusted with a child on him. It is sad for us all because he is super cute and Allee has done really well on him. But safety must absolutely come first. This horse is well-trained and this attitude really can't be 'retaught', so it looks like he will be returning to the person that Ashley purchased him from.

So Ash, we love you and pray that you make a super fast recovery - but don't push it!!!! We will help with you with anything you need - just call!