June 13, 2016 
A woman in the U.K. was hit by a tractor while trail riding last month, breaking her neck in the fall. Fortunately, Rosie Archibald of Worcestershire, a mother of three, was not paralyzed in the incident, though she has been forced to wear a neck brace for eight weeks and give up riding for more than half a year. Her thoroughbred, Rio, also suffered injuries.
Archibald was out riding with a friend with the pair saw a tractor approaching at speed. Though Archibald told Horse & Hound that Rio is “practically bomb-proof” and accustomed to tractors, the driver of the vehicle did not slow down when signaled. Rio went backwards into the road, and he and Archibald were hit from the side, knocking them both to the ground. Archibald said she did not remember being struck but looked up to see the tractor by her foot, with Rio running away up the road. On her Facebook page, she says the driver of the tractor did not stop.
(flickr.com/Sera Photography)
Though initially Archibald thought she’d escaped without serious injuries, an MRI revealed she had fractured the C5 and C6 vertebrae in her neck. Rio suffered a deep cut that led to infection and has required time off, though not nearly as much as the six to eight months Archibald is facing as a result of her injuries. The rider said that she was wearing high-visibility clothing at the time.
