Brian Hennessy
BRITISH event rider, William Fox-Pitt, remains in a serious but stable condition in a French hospital, following a fall at the World Breeding Championships for Young Horses at Le Lion d’Angers in France last weekend.
The three-time Olympic medalist (46) suffered severe head injuries last Saturday, after the fall during his cross-country round with his horse Reinstated. Fox-Pitt had earlier completed the course on another horse, The Soapdodger but fell at fence 20, the Owl fence, with the seven-year-old Reinstated who was uninjured in the fall.
The competition at Le Lion was held up for over one hour as medical personnel attended to the father of four who is married to Channel 4 racing presenter Alice Plunkett.
An update was posted on the Fox-Pitt eventing website afterwards saying: “William was taken to Angers hospital following a fall at Lion d’Angers. He has suffered a head trauma but is fine otherwise. He is stable and remains under observation.”
Further updates stated that there was “no change in his condition” and that he had undergone more tests and remained sedated under observation.
One of the most successful riders in the history of the sport, Fox-Pitt has received hundreds of messages of support from the public, with Alice Fox-Pitt saying: “Thank you again for all your wonderful messages of support and well wishes, it means a tremendous amount to us all that everyone is thinking of William.”
As we went to print, the latest update on the rider’s website, posted on Wednesday, said: “We have this afternoon received the update that William’s condition remains the same with no change overnight. He is still sedated and under constant observation.”
Meanwhile, New Zealand event rider Andrew Nicholson, spoke for the first time this week about his near miracle escape from paralysis following a serious fall at Gatcombe two months ago. Nicholson told a New Zealand radio station how his surgeon likened his extraordinary luck to `winning the lottery.’
Nicholson said: “I hit the ground very hard. I got myself out from the horse and I realised I didn’t have the strength in one hand that I should have. My shoulder felt very sore, then I started to feel like I had grass burn on both my elbows. Once I got back to the lorry I realised I wasn’t in a state to be able to ride the next horse.
“We called for the doctor – I just wanted some painkillers and to go home. That’s when they came back and suggested I put a neck brace on and took me off to hospital.”
A specialist then informed Nicholson he had broken bones in his neck and asked him has he “taken a ticket in the lottery” and he replied he hadn’t. The doctor told him that 98% of people suffering that degree of injury are paralysed.
Although he could move his limbs beforehand, he was told that the operation to repair his shattered neck could actually leave him paralysed from the chest down.
“But at no stage did I think I would not be able to walk again. I was told not to move my legs before the operation, to try and stay still. By 10 o’clock that evening, I was up walking around,” said the rider.
Nicholson hopes to be back riding horses at home by next March or April but admitted that he will not actually know until he returns to competitive riding as to whether he still has his old edge or not after the experience.