June 22, 2023 
Ashley Vogel (USA) had big plans going into the summer of 2022. Taking six months off to rehab a knee injury wasn’t one of them.
The worst part—and the best? Her fall wasn’t even riding-related.
“It was a skiing accident [in March],” says the 22-year-old show jumper. “It was the last run of the trip—I feel like that’s how it always happens. That’s usually when you should probably stop [skiing], when you’re feeling a little tired. I just had a bad fall, and my skis didn’t pop off.”
Vogel knew instantly that the injury was serious and that her summer plans would be on pause for the foreseeable future.
“I heard it, which is the worst feeling in the world,” she shared.
“I had been [making] some big [horse show] plans going into the summer. However, they were just [put] on hold for six months.”
Vogel spent the next several months in rehab, first at Athlete’s Advantage in Wellington and later in Kentucky. When she wasn’t working on getting back in competition form, she was watching livestreams of competitions.
“I would be [at rehab] probably five times a week, just working on strength, pushing weights, and running again,” she shared.
“I was definitely dedicated to [getting] back, because I love the sport. So I was really pushing myself. All my doctors were saying, ‘You’ve got to slow down, and you have to do everything the right way.’ But I was so excited to get back.”
The amateur competitor, who trains with Shane Sweetnam and Chris Pratt at Sweet Oak Farm, says she’s newly appreciative of every moment she’s able to be spend in the saddle and also of the opportunity to refocus on the basics.
“There was a period of time where I could only walk and trot, or only walk, trot, and canter—I couldn’t jump things yet,” Vogel explains.
“There was a lot of flat work happening and some things that maybe [I hadn’t concentrated on when I was] going from show to show in the summer. I actually really appreciated everything that happened the way it did, because I got to really focus on different [aspects of my riding].”
One worry she didn’t have getting back in the saddle was the anxiety or doubt that can accompany a riding accident.
“I think it helps that my injury didn’t happen in the ring on horses, so when I got back to showing and competing [again], I really didn’t have too many issues in the back of my head that way,” she said.
Vogel returned to the international ring in September 2022 and went on to earn a pair of podium finishes at Florida’s Winter Equestrian Festival over the winter. Come May, at Thunderbird Show Park in Langley, BC, she made her 5* debut, earning a pair of wins at 1.40m and 1.45m aboard her gold medal-winning North American Youth Championships mount, Bellissimo Z.
“I’m thankful that I had great doctors and [for my] team at Sweet Oak. They kept my horses in the best shape possible, so right when I was ready to come back, they were ready to be [back] with me as well,” she said.
“Overall, it was an unfortunate experience, but I learned a lot from it.”
Just don’t expect to see her on the slopes anytime soon.
