Madonna Injured in Horse Riding Accident Again

Madonna (50) fell off her horse again on Friday while jumping hurdles, and rather than admit horse riding can be dangerous, she blamed the paparazzi for her fall. Ironically Madonna was at celebrity photographer Steven Klein’s horse farm in Bridgehampton at the time of the accident.

Emergency workers were on standby it seems in case of an accident, because they arrived at Madonna’s side within only minutes. Paramedics carefully carried her on a backboard to a waiting ambulance, which raced to Southampton Hospital.

Reports say Madonna only suffered minor injuries and bruises, which is lucky, because in 2005 she cracked ribs and broke her collarbone, and hand, when she lost her balance riding at her London complex celebrating her 47th birthday.

Overreacting staff flew Madonna’s sons Rocco (8) and David (3) via chopper from Manhattan to the East Hampton airport to see their mom on the day of the accident. The trip was unnecessary as evidenced by the fact Madonna walked out of the hospital on her own a few hours later, hopping into a black SUV, which raced away.

Madonna’s spokesperson Liz Rosenberg said:

"The accident occurred when the horse Madonna was riding was startled by paparazzi who jumped out of the bushes to photograph the singer."

The New York Post, who bought the photos shot at the time of Madonna’s accident, said the opposite:

"There were no photographers near Madonna at the time of the stumble."

The pictures themselves appear to have been shot through trees and brush with a telephoto lens. I myself have ridden horses all my life, and horses can become spooked unexpectedly, but this doesn’t seem to have been the case with photogs keeping their distance. When a horse does become spooked it’s unlikely to throw a rider, especially a rider like Madonna who is experienced at jumping horses over hurdles. We don’t believe Madonna’s photog excuse.

Just a little background on my horse riding experience. I’ve ridden horses bareback, with a blanket, with western saddles, and have been trained to ride English with an English saddle. I have not jumped horses over hurdles, because a rider can get hurt very badly as can the horse. Christopher Reeve fell off his horse while jumping hurdles, broke his neck, and was paralyzed from the neck down. Madonna knows the risks. I never heard Reeve ever blame anyone else for his fall, and neither should Madonna. Taking responsibility for their actions is difficult for some people.