I was shocked to read the following piece in todayâs Racing Post. I do not recall hearing anything about this at the time and, along with everyone on here Iâm sure, send her my very best wishes: âJessica Westwood, who was denied the chance to partner a leading Cheltenham Festival fancy when Monkerty Tunkerty was forced to miss the Foxhunter Chase, has been told she will never ride again. Monkerty Tunkerty, a 10-1 chance, was ruled out of Cheltenham with a bruised foot, but much worse was to follow 24 hours later for the farmerâs daughter from Somerset when she suffered a crashing fall at Cothelstone Point-to-Point near Bridgewater. Speaking from a neuro centre in Germany, Westwood, who had to learn to walk again after a riding accident as a teenager, said: âThe GCS [Glasgow Coma Scale] assesses the level of consciousness from 0 to 15, with 0 being dead. I was a 2, and the air ambulance saved my life. I bruised the front of my brain, so I had short-term memory loss, and the left side of my body was almost like Iâd had a stroke, but with the physiotherapy I am doing, and different things to stimulate the brain, it is all getting better.â Although Westwood, 21, plans to reapply for her riding licence, she accepts it will probably be a fruitless exercise, and now thoughts have turned to pursuing a training career. She is targeting Monkerty Tunkerty at the John Corbet Cup at Stratford on 1 June when Josh Guerriero will partner the nine year old, who looked a potential star when winning a hunter chase at Warwick in January. âThe doctors have told me I wonât get it [the riding licence], so now I want to become a good trainer,â said Westwood, who also has Rockon Xmoor, a three time winner between the flags, and two unraced horses, a three year old by Fair Mix and five year old Geton Xmoor, that she hopes to sell to stay in the familyâs Exford yard. During her absence, Monkerty Tunkerty is being looked after by Westwoodâs father Andrew, but she is looking forward to being reunited with him when she returns from Germany in a fortnight. âI know it will be strange watching somebody else riding Monkey, but I want to do whatâs best for the horse. Heâs certainly a good horse and Iâd like to show him off a bit better now,â she said. âHopefully people will send me a horse or two so I can prove Iâm a good trainer.â
god that's awful. I took a keen interest in monkerty and backed him antepost, was awaiting their reappearance eagerly. it's a bit confusing as it sounds like she's really bad yet she's applying for her licence? good wishes to her anyway, hope she gets well whatever she does.
I suspect that she will be able to ride for pleasure/at home, but that the BHA will refuse to grant her a licence due to her head injury. They stood Hayley Turner down for a long time on the back of a, comparatively, minor concussion so I can quite see that such a severe brain injury would result in a blanket ban from race riding.
The fragility of racing shows up again. Brave lady, you have to wish her well in a training career when her riding career was (competetively) ended at 21 years of age
Fair play to her, she has been seriously injured and has bounced back and is still looking to make things happen in a positive way, really remarkable and a trait many people think they have but unfortunately don't, brave woman. All the best to her going forward.
Jeeeez, sorry Grizzly, was just messing around with those buttons! . Your comment was not so bad at all, apologies.
Sincere best wishes to Jessica. She sounds like one tough and determined lady so whatever she does I wish her all the best. I hope we can keep track of her when she gets her trainer's licence. It would be nice to see her in the winner's enclosure.
