The key facts

  • The young woman suffered a closed fracture of the transverse processes of the third and fourth lumbar vertebrae
  • According to the victim, the instructors at the farm were 12-year-old children
  • The farm owners' responsibility has not yet been determined

What happened

A Saint Petersburg resident named Victoria broke her spine after falling from a horse at a horse farm where, according to her, 12-year-old girls worked as instructors. This was reported to REN TV.

How events unfolded

Victoria and her friend wanted to go horseback riding and chose the farm based on reviews and photos. No one greeted the guests, and they had to walk for about ten minutes through the mud to get to the site. It then turned out that the adult instructors were busy. Despite this, the young woman decided to go ahead with the ride, since she had horseback riding experience.

The fall and the injury

At the start of the ride, the horse Victoria was riding was frightened by a dog. The animal galloped off and threw its rider onto the frozen ground. After the fall, she could not breathe normally for about two minutes due to severe pain. At the trauma center, she was diagnosed with a closed fracture of the transverse processes of the third and fourth lumbar vertebrae. She now has to wear a corset for a whole month and can barely move.

The farm's reaction and what remains unknown

According to the victim, the young instructor claimed that this had never happened before and that 'nothing terrible' had occurred, offering a free ride as an apology. The Saint Petersburg resident believes that the farm owners' negligence led to the injury. It remains unknown whether they will bear any responsibility for what happened — the Gazeta.Ru publication does not report any police reports or inspections.