A HORSE breeder who shattered her pelvis in a riding incident has thanked the airborne medics who saved her life.

Gina Exley, 50, was riding her horse, Sapphire’s Magic, in Bedale in December 2015, and was almost home when her horse is thought to have slipped, causing her to fall off.

The incident left her in a life-threatening condition with a smashed pelvis. She was alone and as well as being badly injured was also confused and disorientated.

But despite that, the mother-of-two managed to ring the emergency services for help, which ultimately saved her life.

A helicopter from the Great North Air Ambulance Service flew to the scene - however she still cannot recall anything from the incident, or even calling for help.

Mrs Exley said: “I assume that my horse slipped and she landed on me, but I’ll never know for sure what happened that day.

“Apparently, I made the 999 call, but I can’t remember anything from riding my horse back home up until after my operation. I wish I could remember being in the helicopter as I would have loved seeing the views.”

Mrs Exley, who has been riding since she was eight, had to undergo major surgery.

She was unable to bear weight on her legs for several months and was confined to a wheelchair until May last year, but two months later was back on a horse again.

Mrs Exley said: “I’ve got two metal screws holding the back of my hips together which crossover at the bottom of my spine, but they don’t cause any discomfort.

“Once I could walk again, I immediately wanted to ride - so the accident hasn’t deterred me from getting on a horse.”

She added: “GNAAS provide a wonderful service and are the best thing since sliced bread. They were absolutely fantastic. If it wasn’t for them I don’t think I would be here, so I can’t praise them enough.”

After meeting Mrs Exley when she visited GNAAS’ Durham Tees Valley Base, aircrew doctor Phil Godfrey said: “I remember clearly what happened that day. Gina had suffered a serious pelvic injury, so we took her to hospital as fast as we could.”