WILLIAM FOX-PITT
The 11-time British number one talks to Aimi Clark about his arduous recovery from a serious brain trauma, his new outlook on life and why he’s not ready to retire just yet
EVERYONE SAID I shouldn’t be riding anymore — and they’re probably right,” says William Fox-Pitt with a shrug of his shoulders. “But I still enjoy riding. I still want to be doing it and so, here I am.” The 49-year-old is alluding to the almost life-ending fall he suffered while competing in France less than three years ago. The one that left him in an induced coma for several weeks, unable to walk, see, taste and feel properly for months afterwards. The same crunching crash that caused such a serious brain trauma that many feared he may not recover. Yet less than a year later, William piloted Chilli Morning at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. It was an extraordinary feat. William’s name has been synonymous with winning for more than 30 years. He’s been world number one on four separate occasions — in 2014, 2010, 2009 and 2002 — and he was the first British rider to hold that illustrious title. A lynchpin of the British team for several decades (see box, p20), he was, literally, top of the world. But then the unthinkable happened. At the 2015 World Young Horse Championships in Lion d’Angers, Reinstated came down at an owl hole (the horse was unhurt). William was fired into the ground and the cross-country course was held for an hour while he received medical assistance. Then he was taken to Angers hospital, where he spent just shy of 14 days in an induced coma.
The NHS warns it can take months, even years, to fully recover from a serious head injury. William fell into that bracket. That’s why his comeback — spurred on by having Chilli Morning, the now-retired stallion with a solid chance of pinning down an elusive individual Olympic gold medal, waiting in his stable — was so remarkable. “I always thought I’d go to Rio, but I don’t think anyone else did,” admits William. “I had to give my body time to recover and I didn’t get on a horse for six months.