This morning, Anky van Grunsven had a serious accident when riding her Grand Prix horse Gestion Joker. Joker was frisky and jumpy and bucked so hard that Anky was launched from her saddled and dropped hard on the ground.
Van Grunsven fell so hard that she fractured her upper leg. She was immediately brought to the hospital where she was operated on the complicated bone fracture she sustained. Sjef Janssen said that, "I could only look and see, it happened so fast." Anky van Grunsven will be out for at least several months.
Gestion Joker, who has been out for months himself first due to a leg injury, has not been brought back into competition after his recouperation. The rumoured reason is that the horse does not comply with the Anky/Sjef training system and has been refusing to go every since.
Image copyrighted: Dirk Caremans - Anky and Joker at the 2000 CDI-W Mechelen
Related Links
Gestion Partout to Retire From Competition
Anky van Grunsven Pulls Gestion Idool out of Dutch WEG Selection Trials