Madonna leaves hospital after fall (from horse)

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au ^ | 17aug05

[HairOfTheDog]

Madonna leaves hospital after fall
From correspondents in London
17aug05

AMERICAN pop diva Madonna was today discharged from hospital where she had been treated for injuries suffered in a horse riding accident in southwest England, a hospital spokeswoman said.

The singer had been taken to Salisbury District Hospital in Wiltshire after falling off her horse while celebrating her 47th birthday.

Madonna's spokeswoman, Barbara Charone, earlier said the songstress had broken her collar bone and a hand, and cracked three ribs, but her condition was not serious.

"Madonna fell off a new horse she was riding late this afternoon at Ashcombe House, her country house outside London," Charone said.

The songstress was marking her birthday with her two children, Lourdes, eight, and five-year-old Rocco, as well as her film director husband Guy Ritchie, at their sprawling 1200-acre country estate in Wiltshire, southwest England, when the accident happened.

But one orthopaedic surgeon, Leela Biant, said Madonna's fitness would help her to make a full recovery, noting that this should take about three months.

"You don't treat broken ribs, they heal by themselves," Dr Biant said.

"The fact that Madonna is very fit and healthy will help her recovery and because she does a lot of yoga she will be used to deep breathing," she said.

Dr Biant said, however, that the Material Girl would find it painful to sing during the first couple of weeks.

Madonna has reinvented herself as an English country wife since meeting Ritchie, a celebrated director in his own right with movies such as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.

[swampfox98]

Yeah. Like playing fetch with a lit stick of dynamite.

I feel like we're running a different thread here. :-)

[Americanchild]

I can tell this semantics game is very important to you, so I'll concede this point

Ah shucks! What's the world coming to when Freepers won't play with me! :)

[BunnySlippers]

I have a girlfriend who is a very expereinced rider. Got her had caught in the reins and her hand was mangled very, very badly. Horses are big ... they can be very dangerous.

Having said that, Madonna is poseur. She wants to play the upper class British thing ... we don't have the class system here. Who does she think she's kidding!

[Americanchild]

I don't want people to blame my horse for my inexperience, hence, I fall off:)

Touche'! You win the semantics debate!

[The Great RJ]

I thought her magic kabala beads would protect her from harm and being treated by the British health care system. If she had been seriously injured, I bet she would be on a chartered jet back to the USA for treatment.

[HairOfTheDog]

OK - I'd use 'fall off' to mean the rider just didn't stay with the horse, because they jumped, lurched, tripped, turned or ran off. I'd use 'thrown' if the horse actually bucked or reared as a deliberate act to unhorse the rider.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

I think the rain is going to hold off long enough for me to go for a ride:)

See ya later.

Becky

[ShadowDancer]

Well, gee, aren't you just a special little rider?

[HairOfTheDog]

Careful out there... I don't want to have to debate this person about what to call it if you come off. :~D

[Americanchild]

That works for me!

[layman]

Madonna's spokeswoman, Barbara Charone, earlier said the songstress had broken her collar bone and a hand, and cracked three ribs, but her condition was not serious.

That's a matter of opinion.

[HairOfTheDog]

I think it'd be a serious imposition for the short term... but it's all relative.

[the Deejay]

I, too, am more concerned about the horse.

Did ya ever hear of Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, Gene Autry, etc., getting thrown from a horse?

[AnAmericanMother]

FWIW, I have heard through the eventing grapevine that Reeve was riding well above his ability level and wrapped the reins around his hands instead of "bridging" the reins. Lord knows I have jumped up ahead of my horse plenty, but I've never wrapped the reins around my hands. My current horse is a trusty soul and NEVER shuts off, but I have landed on the other side of many a jump sans horse because I jumped up ahead.

In fact, just two days after Reeve had his accident, I was riding an unfamiliar horse, jumped up ahead of him, and he shut off . . . as I flew through the air I was thinking "Oh, &^%$%&$#" but caught the mane and landed on my feet.

The other difference is that I tend to compete one level below what I think I'm ready for. I finally moved up to pre-Novice!

[HairOfTheDog]

When you're young and you fall off a horse, you may break something. When you're my age, you splatter. --Roy Rogers

[AnAmericanMother]

I ma wasting my time because none of you people know much about horses.

Who IS this person and what is s/he thinking?

[the Deejay]

If Roy ever did take a fall from a horse, it didn't make news and apparently, Roy knew how to break his fall.

[AnAmericanMother]

LOL on ol' Roy, God rest his soul!

[Rose of Sharn]

The other difference is that I tend to compete one level below what I think I'm ready for. I finally moved up to pre-Novice!

LOL If you are a pre-novice what on earth am i going to call myself now? LOL As for "fall", "thrown" "bucked"......My horse just wants to see if I can defy gravity! LOL : )

[HairOfTheDog]

I don't think anyone is arguing he rode the fence ~well~.

My only complaint was about the low class language ("sucked") being used. It sounds so... Idontknow... 13.

I guess with all the jockular bestiality references on the thread, I'm swimming upstream on that point.