Jockey and trainer has ear sewn back on after kick from horse fractures skull

A racehorse trainer-jockey has had her ear sewn back on after a kick from one of her horses fractured her skull.

Samantha Wynne, 36, was raised in Ireland where she worked for Kevin Prendergast, Joanna Morgan and Noel Meade before she relocated to New Zealand in 2012. She became a jockey riding 450 winners, including in a £1.5 million race in March, and has taken out a training licence as well, sending out 18 winners from a string of 17 horses based in Christchurch.

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She had taken a group of horses to the track for training on Saturday but was knocked out when she was kicked in the head. Wynne was rushed to hospital where she underwent surgery to a fractured skull and severed ear.

She told NZRacing Desk on Monday: “I’ve been in hospital for the last couple of days and I’m feeling a little bit better this morning. I can’t really remember what happened but the girls filled me in. One of the two-year-old fillies wouldn’t walk into the tie-ups and she ran backwards and kicked me in the head. It pretty much took my ear off and I’ve got a fractured skull.

“I was knocked out for about five or six minutes and apparently when the ambulance came I was fighting them because I didn’t want to go to the hospital. Once they got me in, they gave me some good painkillers and I went into surgery that night.

“I got my ear sewed back on, they removed fragments out of the fractures and pulled a bone out of my head. They had to make sure I had no brain injuries, and I’m very lucky that I don’t think I have. There is just a lot of swelling, but hopefully that will go down and the fracture will heal.

“My partner has spoken to a lot of people and I’ve responded to a couple. I’ve been able to use my phone a little bit more today after being a bit too dizzy over the last couple of days.”

Wynne said she expected to be discharged within 24 hours. “I was hoping to go home today, but the doctors think it’ll be tomorrow,” she said. “I have to go for a hearing test later on and a couple of other tests as well.

“I just feel upset and frustrated because I don’t know what happened, but I’m grateful for the support I’ve had. I’d be lost without the girls, I’m so grateful for them. They’re just the best team that you could have. We’re doing okay.”