THE ISLAND 22 EQUESTRIAN PARK

March 3, 2010

Positive Prognosis For Byyny, Howard and O’Connor After Falls At Pine Top Horse Trials

By: Sara Lieser  

Sunday,Feb. 28, marked a tough start to the 2010 eventing season when topriders Jan Byyny and Rebecca Howard ended their day in the hospital after suffering serious falls on cross-country at the Pine Top Horse Trials in Thomson, Ga.

Olympian Karen O’Connor, who is based in Ocala, Fla., for the winter, also fell off Ronaldo in a preliminary division and suffered a minor concussion.She was checked out by medical staff, but she wasn’t hospitalizedaccording to U.S. Eventing Association CEO Jo Whitehouse.

Howard,Norwood, N.C., was competing in an advanced division with her experienced two-star mount Roquefort. The pair suffered a rotational fall at the second-to-last fence on course, an upright vertical.

According to friend and fellow eventer Sinead Halpin, “Rocky” never saw the fence.

“Iwas standing behind the jump. The stride wasn’t wrong. She was quiet,came around the turn, put her leg on, and he never even looked up,”said Halpin.

According to Halpin, Howard’s neck and back areuninjured, but she fractured many ribs and broke both collarbones inmultiple places. She also suffered a punctured lung.

Doctors decided against surgery for now, and Howard spent her first 48 hours post injury concentrating on re-inflating her lung. Halpin said herspirits were good, but that Howard wouldn’t be leaving the CarolinasMedical Center in Charlotte, N.C., just yet.

Keep checking Halpin’s blog for updates.

Byyny’s accident came in the preliminary division aboard a young horse, Wallstraed.

Accordingto Whitehouse, Byyny, Purcellville, Va., has been up and walkingaround, but she has a concussion with a few complications. She is ableto communicate and is receiving the best care possible, but her familyrequested that fans and well-wishers respect her privacy for the timebeing.