Jonty Evans continues to make steady progress in his recovery from a traumatic brain injury sustained in a fall from Cooley Rorkes Drift at Tattersalls International Horse Trials on June 3, 2018. After spending six weeks in a coma, Jonty awoke to overwhelming support from the eventing family. He speaks candidly about his recovery in this fantastic video interview:
- “The challenges you face when you are getting better are normal. As each hurdle is overcome, you doubt yourself, and it sounds odds. Physically you’re getting closer, but mentally you feel further away because you realize exactly how much there is to do, and that can be really tough.”
- “Art (Cooley Rorkes Drift) coming home to me meant I was one step closer to things being normal again. Him being at home just meant a huge amount. To see his face over the door and to see his head in the yard at feed time is just really special.”
- “When I came out of the coma, some time later my mother and sister tried to express how much support there had been. I didn’t believe them. When you come out of the coma and into the real world, it’s very difficult to comprehend that level of exposure or support.”
Whether Jonty will return to riding and competing remains a question, but Jonty said he wants to be the one who ultimately makes that decision: “I would like above everything most of all for me to make the choice. That’s important to me — that I decide if I event again, I decide which tracks I do, I make the choice. At the moment, it’s one day at a time.”
