We were working cattle on October 29, 2012, thought we were done and got off of our horses, and haltered them to tie them up. Just then something came up and my worker and I went to get a cow and bring her back towards where we were parked. As we got close to the trailer, the cow started giving us some problems, and Betty seeing that, got back on her horse, but just had his halter on his head. The horse ran off with her, and covered about a half mile before he came to a fence. He tried to jump the fence but hit it with his chest and threw Betty over twenty five feet.
She hit face first, with the horse landing upside down on top of her. She was flown to the hospital, where it took over four hours to get her blood pressure back. She was on a ventilator for ten days, unconsious for three weeks, and in icu for five weeks. A month into our ordeal the doctors said she would be bed ridden for probably six months and we would be lucky to be in rehab with in a year. Luckily her recovery has been a miracle. She was able to come home Dec. 12. She still didn't know who her kids were, recognize our house, her horses, or any of our property. She had trouble finding her way from our bed room to the bath room. Now she is doing much better. She remembers almost the people she has known, and has learned all of her horses names, but still can't remember riding some of them. There is nor rhyme or reason as to what she can and can not remember. She is quite active walking every day, and has started riding at a walk and trot. She still has quite a ways to go, to get back to normal, but then again there is no way to know if she will ever be back to her normal self.
One thing that is still there is her passion for riding. I have my kids chewing me out for letting her ride this soon after the accident, but it is her life. We decided if we can't stop her then we better help protect her with a helmet. This is a big step for her, because in our world a helmet is not looked upon very kindly. People in our world that wear a helmet are laughed at quite a bit, but the protection outweighs any laughing or talking.
Read more about Betty's story here: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/bettygrohl/mystory
Here is a photo from June 2013 "Betty rode like she hasn't been off the horse at all."
