A BAILDON woman has been left paralysed from the chest down after she fell off her horse.

Anne Taylor, 64, broke her back and suffered a broken sternum, two broken ribs and a broken bone in her hand in the “freak accident” on Baildon Moor.

The horse Mrs Taylor was riding, called Jasmine, tripped on a loose stone and jolted, which saw her thrown off the animal.

The mother-of-two, a retired recruitment consultant, was wearing a helmet and body protection suit, which covered her back, when she fell off the horse, on August 20, this year.

She was initially treated at Leeds General Infirmary and is now undergoing rehabilitation at Pinderfields General Hospital in Wakefield, with no return date home set. She is now wheelchair-bound.

Her daughter, Rebecca Watts, 26, said: “The accident changed her life in a second. It was a total freak accident.

“Mum had just retired and my stepdad retired three weeks after the accident, so they had planned to start a life together, but that was turned on its head. We think she landed on one of her arms, but she does not remember much about the accident.

“We are just so thankful that she is still with us. It has changed everything forever.

“Mum has always ridden but had a big break when I was growing up due to work commitments.

“Just last year I persuaded her to take it up again and she absolutely loved it. She rode three times a week and always had a fantastic time.

“Anybody who knows mum knows that she is one of the kindest, most caring and selfless women around. We’re determined to not let this awful accident ruin her life and give her the very least that she deserves, a house that can fully accommodate her and her needs.”

Mrs Taylor’s family have set up a crowdfunding page to help pay for adjustments needed to her two-floor, four-bedroom home in West Lane, Baildon, for when she can return.

These alterations include ramps for wheelchair access into her home, a through-floor lift, having external and internal doors widened to allow her wheelchair through, her bedroom made bigger and her en suite bathroom turned into a wetroom. The house may also need to be fitted with hoists.

Mrs Taylor’s family also hope to help fund a wheelchair, worth £15,000.

Go to justgiving.com/crowdfunding/anne-taylor63 to make a donation.