keeperscottage
Well-Known Member
I replied to a post about the death of the young event rider as reported in last week in H&H, referring to my daughter's recent brush with death. I had a couple of replies which have led my daughter to suggest I actuallly start a post about this particular subject, so here it is, and I'd love to hear from mums (and others) with their opinion!
My daughter has always had the luxury of having a horsey mum (caught the dreaded horse disease in 1963 and there is no cure!); she started riding at 4 and never had to ask/beg/plead for a pony, she KNEW it was inevitable that she would get one....in fact she had two by the age of 6! From a brave early stage, she "wobbled" a bit around the 8 years of age mark, to suddenly turn into this mad, dare devil rider her PC DC described as "supremely confident". Those were the halcyon days.......April 2006, we walked the open cross country course at Horseheath and my daughter said "Mum, I don't think I can do this", "Why not?" I snapped, Pony Club mum style, "Because my knee hurts too much", "Oh, for God sake go to the doctor then". After an x-ray, the result of which we were told would take two weeks, we were called in the following day to be told that she could have cancer.........she was 16. She loved life. She was bright. She was popular. She was straight and "took no prisoners". She was gorgeous, tall, slim and attractive. Within a week or two, it was confirmed and days later she was on chemo. She shaved off her beloved hair rather than see it fall out and gave away her equallty beloved GHD hair straighteners. No one saw her without hair, though. She had several gorgeous wigs and slept in a "beanie" hat! She had her chemo at University College Hospital in London and had surgery on the 5th August 2006 at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in Stanmore where 12 inches of bone was removed from her left leg and replaced with a titanium rod. The surgeon didn't want her to ride competitively ever again "We can get you back on a horse" he said - but that wasn't enough....to ride, you have to complete! To compete, you have to win! To come second is to lose! She was told that following surgery, she would be in hospital for 10-12 days. "No, 3 to 5" she protested....she was out by Day 5! After this, NO-ONE doubted her determination! The surgeon told her that she couldn't ride until May 2007 but by October 2006 she was back on her outgrown 14.1hh. I can remember how she had to take her crutches to the brick wall where she could clamber on her pony! Anyway, she told me prior to surgery that she would be out hunting by Boxing Day and I remember bumping into one of the Joint Masters with his wife at the check-out in Waitrose....I told him of her aim, adding I thought it a bit optimistic........"She must aim for the stars" he said...a week or so after her first ride on her 14.1hh, she hacked out on her 16.2hh ex-point-to-pointer (even jumped a ditch!), and, despite being really poorly over Christmas due to seven or eight months of chemo and really grim blood levels, she made it to the Boxing Day Meet. I was so proud of her! (There is a photo of her on our village website which she was horrified to see since she looks so chubby and "moon faced" due to steroids!) She only stayed out for a short while since her pony became too strong for her. But that's all in the past now! Chemo finished end of January 2007, and six months on, she's back to normal (ie, bloody horrible teenager again!). All she has to show for that last year is short curly hair and, instead of being 5'9 and slim, she's 5'9 and "stocky", due to those dreaded steroids!.... . I bought her another ex-point-to-pointer from a friend of mine and he's wonderful! (Other ex-pointer is now in foal to Primitive Proposal.) He's currently being schooled by a local event rider, who's ridden at Badminton and Burghley, with a view to my daughter eventing him herself. She also wants to ride in a point-to-point....AND she has a youngster to back in the not too distant future. Her horses are "serious" horses, not plods (Oh, how I wish....!!!). She has so many plans, most of which involve a large element of danger. She's now 18, an adult.........come on mums, how would YOU feel if it was your daughter???
My daughter has always had the luxury of having a horsey mum (caught the dreaded horse disease in 1963 and there is no cure!); she started riding at 4 and never had to ask/beg/plead for a pony, she KNEW it was inevitable that she would get one....in fact she had two by the age of 6! From a brave early stage, she "wobbled" a bit around the 8 years of age mark, to suddenly turn into this mad, dare devil rider her PC DC described as "supremely confident". Those were the halcyon days.......April 2006, we walked the open cross country course at Horseheath and my daughter said "Mum, I don't think I can do this", "Why not?" I snapped, Pony Club mum style, "Because my knee hurts too much", "Oh, for God sake go to the doctor then". After an x-ray, the result of which we were told would take two weeks, we were called in the following day to be told that she could have cancer.........she was 16. She loved life. She was bright. She was popular. She was straight and "took no prisoners". She was gorgeous, tall, slim and attractive. Within a week or two, it was confirmed and days later she was on chemo. She shaved off her beloved hair rather than see it fall out and gave away her equallty beloved GHD hair straighteners. No one saw her without hair, though. She had several gorgeous wigs and slept in a "beanie" hat! She had her chemo at University College Hospital in London and had surgery on the 5th August 2006 at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in Stanmore where 12 inches of bone was removed from her left leg and replaced with a titanium rod. The surgeon didn't want her to ride competitively ever again "We can get you back on a horse" he said - but that wasn't enough....to ride, you have to complete! To compete, you have to win! To come second is to lose! She was told that following surgery, she would be in hospital for 10-12 days. "No, 3 to 5" she protested....she was out by Day 5! After this, NO-ONE doubted her determination! The surgeon told her that she couldn't ride until May 2007 but by October 2006 she was back on her outgrown 14.1hh. I can remember how she had to take her crutches to the brick wall where she could clamber on her pony! Anyway, she told me prior to surgery that she would be out hunting by Boxing Day and I remember bumping into one of the Joint Masters with his wife at the check-out in Waitrose....I told him of her aim, adding I thought it a bit optimistic........"She must aim for the stars" he said...a week or so after her first ride on her 14.1hh, she hacked out on her 16.2hh ex-point-to-pointer (even jumped a ditch!), and, despite being really poorly over Christmas due to seven or eight months of chemo and really grim blood levels, she made it to the Boxing Day Meet. I was so proud of her! (There is a photo of her on our village website which she was horrified to see since she looks so chubby and "moon faced" due to steroids!) She only stayed out for a short while since her pony became too strong for her. But that's all in the past now! Chemo finished end of January 2007, and six months on, she's back to normal (ie, bloody horrible teenager again!). All she has to show for that last year is short curly hair and, instead of being 5'9 and slim, she's 5'9 and "stocky", due to those dreaded steroids!.... . I bought her another ex-point-to-pointer from a friend of mine and he's wonderful! (Other ex-pointer is now in foal to Primitive Proposal.) He's currently being schooled by a local event rider, who's ridden at Badminton and Burghley, with a view to my daughter eventing him herself. She also wants to ride in a point-to-point....AND she has a youngster to back in the not too distant future. Her horses are "serious" horses, not plods (Oh, how I wish....!!!). She has so many plans, most of which involve a large element of danger. She's now 18, an adult.........come on mums, how would YOU feel if it was your daughter???
