“We never think it’s going to happen to us” said Rebecca Page following a fall which saw the British Eventing Support Trust step in to assist in her recovery and rehabilitation. As a British Eventing member, Rebecca was able to benefit from the helping held that the Support Trust provides for riders in their time of need.
On 10 July at Buckminster Park Horse Trials Rebecca Page’s life changed in a matter of seconds. Landing on her feet after a seemingly innocuous fall at the second last fence on the cross-country course, she suddenly found herself with two badly broken legs. From someone who had enjoyed a busy career as a freelance rider, she was lying in a hospital bed with both legs pinned and plated facing a long road of rehab, a bleak prognosis from non-horsey consultants and the fear of not knowing what the outcome would be. As despair was beginning to creep in for Rebecca and her family, she received a lifeline from British Eventing.
“Not even 24 hours after I arrived in hospital I got a phone call from Jane Rudd from The British Eventing Support Trust,” explains Rebecca. “She basically said, ‘don’t worry about anything. We will take care of your rehab; we will help in every way needed. I was totally overwhelmed when I got this phone call from Jane because I felt like, what have I done to sort of deserve this help and support. And she said, ‘well you’re a BE member and we’re here to help our riders’.”
From that moment, Rebecca’s journey to recovery began. “The left leg is supposedly a career ending injury, because of how it is plated and the type of break that it was. I think my consultant would have loved it if I had turned around to him and said I’m not going to ride again – it’s hard finding people that understand that desire and love to get back in the saddle. However, thanks to The Support Trust, I got a place with the Injured Jockeys Fund in Newmarket and that has been a complete game changer.
“As soon as I was out of plaster my physio at Newmarket was like, ‘right we need to get these ankles moving. I know it hurts and it’s going to be painful, but if that scar tissue solidifies it will be stuck in your joints forever, which will limit your movement’. Without that support and encouragement to push through the pain, goodness knows where I would be. Probably still sat on the sofa doing nothing in moon boots.
“There is no denying they hurt – A LOT – but you cannot underestimate the power of being around people who want to get you back doing what you love. People who have seen these injuries before and know what needs to be done get you back in the saddle. Everything that we’ve been doing in my physio is focused on the positioning and movement required to get back on a horse – starting with time in the swimming pool and progressing to sessions in the gym. The aim is always to get strong enough to get back in the saddle, and then build up your strength once you are there.
“Against the odds – my hospital consultant said I would be an idiot to think about getting on a horse before Christmas – I have already been on the mechanical horse and, if things go well, I can try riding any day now. I cannot emphasise enough how much the backing of the Support Trust and the facilities and expertise they have been able to provide for me has changed the outcome of this whole thing. Jane is always ringing to see how I’m doing and to check that there’s no more that they can be doing. My life would be so different without their help.
“We never think it’s going to happen to us. I ride to a relatively professional level. I train day in, day out and I never thought this would happen to me. I was riding a very talented, very established horse and what happened shouldn’t have happened, but it just proves that freak accidents can happen. My mum has been around horses all her life and the first thing she said to me when I was sat in A&E, waiting to be admitted to a ward, was ‘how on earth are we going to rehab you from this?’ It was a huge weight off our shoulders to be able to know that the future looks quite good, thanks to The Support Trust.
Asked what advice she would give any riders who are eventing she said “I would encourage all event riders to get behind The Support Trust and British Eventing. If you can donate, donate. Follow them on social media and share their posts – help raise awareness of the incredible work that they are doing, so more riders know what is available to them.
“But more importantly, join and compete with BE or renew your membership if it has lapsed, because by being a member you will have the support of these guys should you need it. And you never know when you might need them.”
To find out more and how to donate to the BE Support Trust visit besupporttrust.org.uk
or to join British Eventing visit britisheventing.com
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