Injured jockey out for months
A Southland jockey with two cracked vertebrae in his neck still likes his favourite horse despite it halting his riding career for three months.
Amless Bohorun is recovering at home and thinking of ways to fill in his time following a race fall at a Wingatui race meeting at Mosgiel recently.
Not being able to ride and care for his boss’ horses disappoints Bohorun, 30.
‘‘It’s a bit sad, everyday I work with the horses . . . I look after them, and they look after me,’’ he said.
The Mauritius-born rider lives on the property of his Birchwood employer, trainer Stephen Blair-Edie, in western Southland.
Bohorun and his favourite horse, Nesta, had just crossed the finish line in eighth place when Nesta stumbled and threw Bohorun to the ground.
Nesta’s leg struck Bohorun’s neck. An examination of Bohorun at the racecourse did not detect the vertebrae problem and the rider felt all right to travel back to Birchwood.
That changed the next morning. He became unwell and was taken by his partner, Lucinda Aitken, to Southland Hospital, where X-rays revealed the cracked vertebrae.
‘‘I spent all day and the night there and got discharged the next morning,’’ Bohorun said.
After two days, the neck pain went away and has not returned. He is not taking painkillers.
The neck brace he wears should be removed in six weeks.
He rode Nesta in daily training and was riding the gelding in a race for the first time at Wingatui.
All of Bohorun’s 31 race wins have been on Blair-Edie’s horses. He has been employed by him for four years.
Bohorun hopes the next three months will pass quickly. Some of the things he will be doing to keep busy are reading, watching races on television and short trips round Southland and Otago.
‘‘In two weeks I think I’ll go to Queenstown for three or four days . . . I don’t want to get bored.’’