Mary King hands two horses to daughter Emily to event as she recovers from injury

Mary King is continuing her recovery from injury after a fall at home in June, but will not be able to ride or drive for another six weeks.

“I’ve just been for my five week X-rays,” said the 61-year-old in an update on her Facebook page yesterday (Thursday, 28 July).

“My bones are all healing well and staying in line, but with my broken C3 [vertebra] – neck, I have to wear my collar (and not drive or ride) for six more weeks until follow up X-rays.

“I’ve decided to let Emily King, my daughter, take on Kings Belief (Barry) and King Louis (Dobby) this autumn to event and further their careers. They are five and six years old and need to be out doing things.

“Emily is riding Valmy Biats at the British open championships at Gatcombe next weekend (good luck Em!) so I will take my two there for her to take back to her yard.”

In her injury update, Mary King added that her goddaughter Katie Corbin has been doing “an amazing job getting [the horses] fit, and preparing them for Emily” and posted pictures of herself watching Katie ride and enjoying a drink with friends, wearing a neck collar.

The multiple five-star winner is recovering having been taken to hospital after an accident at home when the wind caught the arena gate and blew it into a young horse’s quarters. She fractured her C3 vertebra, wings of several other vertebra, seven ribs and her left scapula.

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Pippa Roome

H&H magazine editor and eventing editor

Pippa is a true eventing geek and has been H&H’s eventing editor since 2005. She has first-hand experience of competing up to British Eventing intermediate and international CCI2*-L level, and has worked in the industry on a top event yard. Pippa enjoys nothing more than immersing herself in the sport at the highest level, reporting from the five-stars and international championships, including the Olympics.