Horse leaves girl fortunate to be alive after head kicking her throughout wild rampage
WARNING, GRAPHIC CONTENT: A woman almost met her end after a rampaging horse booted her in the head during a rampage – the attack left the woman struggling to walk and suffering from memory loss
Brittain Westernberg, 55(Image: Kennedy News and Media)
A fashion business owner almost died when she was kicked and trampled by a rampaging horse which had been spooked by cattle.
The horror unfolded last month as Brittain Westernberg, 55, led the two-year-old show horse to the roping arena in order to take photos of the animal. The 55-year-old said the horse was “spooked” by nearby cattle and when Brittain tried to pet her, she spun around and booted her in the back before repeatedly trampling her head.
Thankfully Brittain, who was knocked unconscious, wasn’t alone and a friend ran for help. The mum-of-four was rushed to hospital after the incident on March 8.
Doctors confirmed she had multiple brain bleeds, multiple back fractures and a skull fracture. Shocking photos show a clearly defined hoofprint mark on her back and her in a neck brace during her 12-day stint in hospital.
Brittain, who is suffering from short-term memory loss and has trouble walking since the accident, said she feared for her life but was lucky she didn’t fracture her spine.
Brittain, from Wickenburg, Arizona, said: “We raise performer horses. I was out taking pictures of a sale horse when she spooked at cattle that were in the roping pit. She spun around and kicked me in the back and then kicked me in the head. This was the first time we had taken her off property so it was a lot for her.
“I should have realised she was not going to be good that day and worked with her, the biggest lesson of this is don’t force something that feels like it’s not working out.
“We were halfway in the arena when she saw the cattle. I was going up to pet her neck and reassure her it was okay. She turned around and kicked me in the back and as I fell down she kicked me in the head.
“She stepped on me a bunch and knocked me out pretty good. I woke up in the back of an ambulance. I was responsive pretty quickly, telling them I was okay. I got kicked pretty badly, I fractured my head and have multiple brain bleeds. I remember waking up with extreme back pain.
“I don’t have damage to my spinal cord thank goodness. If the bone had broken just an inch over I wouldn’t be walking. They told me they were surprised I could move my legs and talk, I was really lucky I didn’t get it worse than it was.
She added: “They put me in a CT scan and immediately saw the brain bleeds, one really bad brain bleed and multiple other brain bleeds.”
Due to being booted in the head, Brittain claims she still struggles with her short-term memory. Brittain said: “Because of the brain bleeds and the concussion I don’t have good short-term memory, it’s challenging to remember things.
“I feel quite sharp but sometimes I’ll drive to town and not remember where I’m going or how I got there, I’m praying that’s going to be temporary.
“I’m just waiting for everything to heal so I can start physical therapy. I’m just really lucky because the swelling didn’t continue in my head. If the bleed hadn’t stopped, they would have to put me in a coma.”
Brittain, who still has the filly but admits she’s now scared of horses, hopes to be able to ride again one day. Brittain said: “You just become more aware, you need to have eyes in the back of your head.
“I absolutely was worried I was going to die. Being in ICU and seeing people leave in body bags made me have panic attacks. I’m scared. If I’m around horses and they’re moving at all I’m just running backwards and it’s involuntary. There’s some true PTSD that’s going on.
“It was life changing. Horses spook and it’s made me realise how quickly that animal could basically take your life. We take for granted how quick things can happen. I have about 12 horses and five for sale, I’ve had horses since I was six years old.”
“I don’t know if I will ride again or if I will be competitive again, we’ll see how the back heals as I have a hard time walking. I will ride again if my body allows it but I don’t have the desire to compete again, I don’t want to do things that risk my life.”
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