Friday, June 5, 2009

A SCARY phone call...after her fall....

Lorri on Kite on one of our riding mini-vacations

Lorri at the hospital--may she not KILL me for posting this pic....

Yesterday was the day for BAD news. But it started out like any other! I was working in the newborn nursery with my bud/BO Linda and we were busy, but all was well, just the normal craziness. THEN...Linda's cell rang. Since we are getting ready for our scavenger hunt on Saturday, and we are helping with the trails at the Equitherapy facility where I volunteer, I had an ear half poked in that direction in case it was related to that. Well, it was. But not in the way that you would hope. Our friend Lorri (Linda's best friend) had been involved in a VERY bad accident on her horse Kite while working on said trails. EMS arrival it was so bad. It appears she bucked--Lorri thinks it may have been a stick poking her, as she really doesn't have bucking issues--and Lorri was thrown and rolled four times down an embankment. She has the obvious damage you can see to her face, along with three fractured spinous processess, the bones that support your spine. In the pic she is on Morphine so she was talking about getting back to work on Monday when Linda was visiting. Poor thing. No way is that gonna happen, she will need R&R, not to mention the PAIN she is gonna be in. Kite, her horse is just fine.
I would just like to use this opportunity to re-emphasize wearing your helmet. (And perhaps a full suit of padded gear :) Linda does not wear her helmet, and when I mentioned that, "Thank God Lorri was wearing her's yesterday," her reply was, "Well, her head isn't the injured part is it?" After seeing Lorri at the hospital she called (I was working until 11pm), and I got her to promise to wear a helmet at least when riding with me. I put in the guilt card....Who will take care of you if you were to go off? Who will have to run for help? Who will call EMS, worry, and just call you an ASS for not protecting yourself? ME!!!!
Lorri is the most accomplished rider I know and I look up to her. She has trained 6-8 horses from the ground up, and when you ride one of hers, you say to yourself, "Ahhh. What a well trained horse." She also helps me immensely with my own riding and training. She constantly strives to improve her riding and takes dressage lessons. Kite (who she was riding) is an Arab/Polish Warmblood cross. She also has Ozzie who is ALSO an AngloArab like my Jackson!!!!
HERE'S MY POINT FOLKS: No matter how good of a rider you are, or how well you think you know your horse, your head is only a little stronger than a watermelon (especially when you add speed) and the rate of death/injury in this country is very high for folks who go without a helmet and have an accident. She broke 3 of her spinous processes in her neck....who knows how her head would have fared without that helmet....
Stepping off my soapbox now....just scary when a friend gets hurt; also really brings home how EASILY it could be you....
Gotta go. Out to finish the trails for our scavenger hunt tomorrow and get Lorri a card and a little present....
PS. Lorri-Please don't kill me for posting your pic on the internet!!!! LOVE YOU!

8 comments:

  1. Sending healing thoughts your friend's way...

    Thre sure do seem to be a lot of people getting injured. My friend recently broke 5 ribs and her collar bone when a horse (not hers) smashed her into a wall. Darn horses.

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  2. Hope your friend heals up soon.

    My MoTTo on Helmet-Use
    Helmets might look stupid, but dain-bramage is permanent. :)

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  3. Oh man..she looks like she will be in serious pain for some time. Oh, I am so sorry..please tell her I am praying for her!
    I just was handed some undeserved mercy, last wednesday with my accident...
    I am adding "Eventer's vest" to my daily gear as of my accident!

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  4. Oh no! I'm so sorry to hear about her accident! I'm sending healing vibes.

    I bought (and am wearing) my helmet everyday since I got to our new barn where everyone does. It's a good example for my kids too...

    A friend forwarded me info about the scavenger hunt - I hope it goes well.

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  5. YIKES! Your post made my tummy go all into knots seeing and reading about Lorri's horse accident. She looks like she is so beat up, inside and out. Poor gal!
    It also makes me question how crazy I am for wanting to get back up on a horse. I keep reading about people and their horse injuries and falls, even for experienced riders, and I'm starting to think that I may have a few marbles loose in my head (even though I do wear a helmet).
    I can see where Linda's coming from, but maybe Lorri could have had a head injury had she n ot wore her helmet? Did she roll over any rocks?
    And once you are on the ground it would take nothing for a horse to trip over your prone body and stomp on your head, even by accident.
    Too scary.

    Please tell Lorri we hope she feels better and heals up soon.

    (((HUGS)))
    ~Lisa

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  6. Since my daughter fell and busted her helmet, we have a helmet policy. No one under 18 rides on our property without a helmet and no one in my family rides without a helmet. We have invested a lot of time and money into our brains and want to keep them in good condition. Helmets are a MUST have!

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  7. What I DIDN'T say after I got thrown from Poco week before last is that it was really hot and humid, and I haven't yet acclimated to the heat this year. I was thinking that "just this once" I wasn't going to wear my helmet. As I walked into the arena, Nita yelled, "You forgot your hat," meaning helmet.

    When I hit the dirt, I kept moving. Not only did my helmet protect me from the impact, but it kept my face just far enough from the ground to prevent having abrasions all over my face. I basically plowed threw the dirt.

    God guards the unconscious, and apparently the stupid, too.

    Anything can happen at any time to anybody regardless of experience or expertise. I promise to pray for Lorri.

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  8. WOW!!! I am soooo sorry about your friends fall!! That is just terrible!! I will be thinking of her for sure... And yes I totally agree, NEVER EVER EVER ride without a helmet, its just too dangerous! Please keep us updated on her recovery!
    Jessi

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~Slainte' Mhath!