Girl trampled by horse won showjumping champion title
I’LL NEVER FORGET ABBI SAYING TO ME – ‘I’M DYING, MUM, I’M DYING’
A TEENAGER who was trampled by a horse at the age of nine has well and truly got back in the saddle – and won a national showjumping title.
Abbi Pedley, from Narborough, thought she was going to die when her pony reared up and fell on top of her.
The horse rolled onto the youngster, crushing her and shattering her thigh bone when it trampled on her leg.
Abbi’s mum Karen said: “I’ll never forget Abbi saying to me – ‘I’m dying, Mum, I’m dying.’
“I kept asking her questions to find out exactly what hurt, but she couldn’t answer because the pain was too much. It was horrendous.
“If I could have changed places with her, I would have done. Minutes passed and, in the distance, I could hear a helicopter approaching and I just knew it was for us. I felt such a sense of physical relief that help had arrived.”
Abbi had been riding her pony at a local show when suddenly he reared up, lost his balance, and fell backwards on to her, in 2013.
When the Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland Air Ambulance arrived, Abbi was in agony.
The critical care doctor and paramedic gave her morphine to make her as comfortable as possible so her leg could be realigned and put in a splint before she was flown to University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire.
Despite needing surgery to pin and plate her leg, Abbi was back in the saddle less than a year after her accident and has gone on to have many riding successes – including winning a national show jumping title in 2017.
Now, Abbi, who is 16, has achieved her ambition of starting a career in the equine world by working as an apprentice at a company run by a family of international showjumpers
Her mum believes that the treatment and care Abbi was given by the air ambulance critical care doctor and paramedics back in May 2013 played a big part in her daughter’s determination to carry on riding and pursue her dream job after being seriously injured.
“We never underestimate the difference the air ambulance made to the situation Abbi was in,” she said.
“If it wasn’t for the fantastic care she received and the help she was given, it would have been too traumatic for her to carry on riding.”
Karen and Abbi often talk about that day and the difference being attended by the local air ambulance made.
“We are absolutely indebted to the air ambulance for coming to Abbi,” said Karen. “We support the charity whenever we can.”
Anyone wanting to learn more about the lifesaving service can visit call 0300 3045 999 or visit the website: