WHEN one of Britain’s most promising young horse riders suffered severe head and facial injuries in a pony riding accident, doctors said she might never ride again.

But courageous 12-year-old Yasmin Sanderson has amazed the medics and her family by returning to national competition in record time.

As young Yasmin lay barely conscious in her hospital bed, dreams of a glittering horse riding career in tatters, her shocked family barely recognised her.

Their daughter’s blonde hair was matted with blood, the gaping wounds in her swollen face held together with hundreds of stitches.

But even more worrying than the visible injuries were the bleeds to her brain which, had they worsened, could have caused lasting damage.

Yasmin’s parents faced an agonising wait to discover if their daughter’s personality would be altered forever.

Just hours before, the youngster from Hordle had been enjoying an evening gallop through the New Forest with friends when her pony tripped, launching her face first onto the ground.

The schoolgirl – the youngest competitor in British Eventing history - hit the gravel with such force, the left side of her face was ripped open and her brain was slammed into the side of her skull.

In that instant, Yasmin’s hopes of becoming a professional horse rider appeared shattered.

Doctors warned the family that she may never ride again – her head injuries were just too severe to risk another potentially devastating fall.

Yasmin – a member of West Hants Pony Club – began riding aged five and regularly competed in British Eventing competitions, combining the disciplines of show jumping, dressage and crosscountry riding.

But her dreams of competing for her country faded when she was thrown from her pony that evening last summer.

“I found her near Wootten Bridge,” remembers mum Ritha who was alerted when Yasmin’s friends phoned her from the youngster’s mobile.

“When I got there, Yasmin’s whole face was hanging off and there was blood everywhere. She had been knocked out momentarily and was very confused.

“The ambulance took 45 minutes to arrive and it felt like forever. All I wanted them to do was patch her up and stop the bleeding.

“It’s hard to describe how horrible it was – a huge gaping wound like a sight you might see on Casualty.”

Yasmin was rushed to Southampton General Hospital where she underwent nearly five hours of surgery.

“I used to race power boats so I’ve seen some gruesome accidents,” says dad Ian, “but nothing prepares you for seeing you own child in that state. I was shocked. I walked right past her in the hospital – she was unrecognisable.”

A brain scan revealed there was worse to come.

Yasmin had suffered a series of small bleeds to the brain.

“She was in and out of consciousness and didn’t remember where she was or what date it was,”

says Ritha.

“We knew we were lucky that it wasn’t immediately life threatening but there was a real worry that the small bleeds could link up. We had been warned that her personality might be changed and it did make her aggressive and angry for a while.”

Telling their daughter she may never ride again was heartbreaking.

“It was like turning a light switch off,” says Ritha. “She went into a small depression.

“Then the doctors re-evaluated and suggested she might be able to get back on a horse in a year and that gave her a bit of hope.

Then they brought it back to six months and finally three months.”

In reality, a determined Yasmin was back at the yard to see her beloved ponies on the day she was released from hospital, just ten days after her accident.

After four weeks and desperate to take her C Test (the pony riding equivalent of an advanced driving test) she bravely sat on a pony and pleaded with her nervous mum to let her trot.

“It was scary at first because I didn’t know what would happen,” says Yasmin.

“Sometimes early on, I worried I’d never get my confidence back but now it feels normal again.”

Incredibly, by the time the three-month deadline arrived, Yasmin – who can’t remember anything about the accident – amazed everybody by entering a British Eventing competition.

Now Yasmin – who was recently placed fifth against a field of 40 competitors, including adult riders - is back to riding six days a week and competes at least twice a month.

“To be honest I’m hideously nervous when she rides and during competitions I keep busy so I can’t hear what they’re saying over the tannoy,”

admits Ritha.

“But when she came through and had a clear round I felt really emotional. I felt elated for her.

She was incredibly focused and had that real hunger.

“Since the accident she’s been riding cross country a bit more cautiously but that day she was riding with grim determination.”

The only evidence of Yasmin’s accident is a fading scar on her cheek.

“It doesn’t really bother me,” says Yasmin whose accident came just three days before finishing primary school. “When I first looked in the mirror I didn’t say anything. I think I was in shock. Then I wondered what people at my new school would say but nobody has really seemed to notice and my friends have been really supportive.”

Dad Ian added: “Her physical scars have healed so well but the biggest challenge having suffered such a trauma was being able to confidently attack the solid fences of a cross country course again. So it was a thrill for everyone to see her do exactly that at this level. There were a few tears at the finish.

“For Yasmin to go from where she was to where she is now is incredible. And to come through her recovery without ever once moaning or complaining is a credit to her. As parents we would very happily have let her stop riding but it’s her passion.

“We all want to thank again the amazing surgeons and nurses at Southampton General who gave her the chance to follow her dreams again.”