Mari still in pain following horse riding accident

POLOKWANE – What was supposed to be a fun-filled day spent horseback riding turned into a nightmare for Mari Romijn (30).

Mari was trampled by her horse on 18 March when she went horseback riding at the Broadlands Equestrian Centre.

Mari was unable to stop her horse and in her struggle to regain control, she fell off the horses back and landed beneath the animal. Her horse stepped on her face.

“There was so much blood and she was in severe pain,” explains Mari’s husband, Freek.

Freek rushed his wife to the emergency unit at a private hospital in the city where he says the service they received was very good.

Freek wanted to move Mari to Pretoria to see a specialist but decided to call a friend to ask for his advice.
“I first called Willie Schoeman as I have a lot of respect for him,” Freek continues. His friend directed him to Doctor Nic van Oudtshoorn and after he had Mari moved to a different hospital, Van Oudsthoorn assisted Mari.

“He was very calm and I have a lot of respect for him. He suggested that Doctor Frikkie Redelinghuys do the operation and we did not go to Pretoria.”

Freek says that when Redelinghuys looked at the X-rays he explained that the horse’s hoof missed Mari’s brain by a few centimetres. Her cheek bone was repaired and as soon as it has healed enough, she will undergo more operations to repair her nose.

“She is in a lot of pain, but she is very brave and does not complain a lot. She says she will ride again, but will start slowly to gain her self-confidence. What we experienced was unbelievable and I do not wish it on anybody,” Freek says.

The couple would like to thank everyone involved who supported and encouraged them through this difficult period.

“We would like to thank the excellent doctors in Polokwane, all our friends and people who know us. We received calls and flowers from so many people. And then we would not be able to do anything without the grace of God.”

maretha@nmgroup.co.za