Showjumping-obsessed teenager may never ride again
Betsan is an experienced rider who regularly competes in dressage and show-jumping
A showjumping obsessed schoolgirl may never ride again after suffering a broken back when a motorcyclist apparently ‘spooked’ her horse on a country lane.
Betsan Llewellyn-Jones, 14, was out on a countryside hack with a friend when the motorcyclist rode between their horses, causing them to bolt.
She was thrown to the ground, fracturing her spine, and now faces an agonising wait to find out if the damage will stop her riding ever again.
The rider – described as a man in his 50s with a ‘posh’ accent – comforted her until an ambulance arrived but then left without leaving his details.
Police are now trying to track him down – as is Betsan’s father, who claims he just wants to thank him for helping his daughter despite the devastating effect of the fall.
The schoolgirl was riding a horse named Rascal accompanied by a friend on a pony on a lane near their homes close to Llanelian, Colwyn Bay, North Wales, on April 10 when a motorcyclist allegedly drove between them, causing the animals to bolt.
An experienced rider who regularly competes in dressage and show-jumping, Betsan was left lying in the road where the biker – who said he was on a trip from Liverpool – moved her out of the path of oncoming traffic.
Her friend was also thrown off her horse into a ditch, but escaped with cuts and bruises.
When her horse bolted Betsan was left lying in the road with a fracture in one of her vertebrae
Betsan’s father Rod Llewellyn-Jones, 54, said: ‘When I saw her in the hospital she was screaming in agony. The morphine didn’t even help.’
The teenager suffered a compression fracture in one of her vertebrae in the fall which initially meant she couldn’t feel her legs, and while she is slowly recovering her family do not know whether she will be able to ride a horse again.
Her father said: ‘She’s still in a lot of pain now. At the moment she can just manage to walk tiny distances, and she’s been given a stick. We just have to wait now to see how the bone fuses back together.
Betsan has been horse-mad since she was a child - and is 'devastated' at the thought she might not ride again
North Wales Police are trying to track down the motorcyclist - but Betsan's father wants to thank him for helping his daughter after the fall
‘She is devastated at the thought she might not ride again. She rides every day, she’s been doing it since she was six. She’s spent most of her life around horses.
‘At the moment, doctors have told he she’s not even to try sitting on a horse.
‘If she can’t ride again and become a jockey then that’s going to be hard to take.’
Mr Llewellyn-Jones, a researcher, backed a police appeal to trace the biker – who Betsan describes as ‘in his 50s with a full head of grey hair and a posh accent’.
But he insisted he only wanted to thank him for looking after his daughter.
Betsan is still keen as ever to get back in the saddle with her horse Sophie
‘The motorcyclist had stopped and apparently picked her up to move her out of the road, which wasn’t the best thing to do but he was trying to help,’ he said.
‘I would like to have a chat with him. She’s said he was lovely with her and told her about his sons.
‘Everyone who helped on the scene was brilliant. If it had been a boy racer who had come flying down the road after the accident she would be dead now.’
Now recovering at home, Betsan is still as keen as ever to see her horse Sophie and is itching to get going again despite the terrifying experience.
‘She’s already been asking if she can go and see her horse, but I’ve said no chance right now,’ her father added.
Police say the motorcyclist stopped to help Betsan and waited until paramedics arrived
Betsan's already asked if she can go and see her horse, but her father's said no for now
A spokesman for North Wales Police said: ‘A motorcyclist is believed to have been travelling behind the two horses before they bolted.’
PC Lowri Roberts added: ‘The motorcyclist did stop and helped the ambulance staff, but left without giving any details.
‘We are appealing to the motorcyclist or anyone else who may have witnessed the incident to contact us.’