A Tavernspite horse lover owes her life to her riding hat and her quick-thinking daughter.

Wendy King, who runs Little Kings Tack Shop, Narberth, was out riding just after Christmas when she fell from her horse.

"It was a very simple fall," explained 34-year-old Wendy.

"I had just mounted, not even got my feet in the stirrups, when something spooked her and made her buck. I fell off, landing head first into the ground; luckily for me it was a sand school surface!

She continued: "I immediately knew it was serious. There was blood coming from my nose and mouth, my head was throbbing and I couldn't get up! I stayed still with my head on the ground, on my knees, blood pouring from my face and a pain I'd never felt before in my back.

"My daughter, Mia, who is five, ran over to me. She sat next to me and rubbed my back, saying 'it's ok mummy'. She took my 'phone from my jacket and rang her dad. I could hear her talking, but still could not move to take the 'phone. She put the phone near my face, but I couldn't see it as my eyes were so swollen.

"I remember her saying 'it's on loud speaker, talk we need help'. All I said was 'I have fallen from horse, my face is bleeding and I can't move'. My daughter then disappeared - she put my 16-hand horse Tic Tock back in the stable, I was told after.

Wendy's partner quickly arrived on scene and the alarm was raised. The next thing Wendy remembers was waking up strapped to a spinal board in A&E.

Continued Wendy: "The doctors told me I had a very serious head injury and that my hat had saved my life. He told me if I hadn't had it on, I would have died. Now that scared me!"

Wendy broke her back in the accident. She was fitted with a back brace and was allowed to sit in a chair. Within a few days, she was standing with help and was discharged within a week - on bed rest and on strict instructions to get help to move.

Added Wendy: "Doctors told me I was looking at six months plus before getting back on a horse, if at all. After lots of rest and doing exactly what my physio told me, I was back in the saddle mid-May!

Amazingly, soon afterwards, Wendy went to the Carriages in the Castle event at Picton Castle with another of her horses, Millie, and was placed first.

"That rosette means more to me than any other rosette I have ever won, as it just shows me I can do it. I can recover. I can be strong," said Wendy.

Wendy has posted her story on her shop's Facebook page in a bid to draw awareness of the importance of wearing a riding hat. The post has received over 6,000 likes and hundreds of comments within only a few days.

Wendy added: "A simple fall can have life-changing circumstances. I feel I was extremely lucky; it could have been so much worse. Please always wear a correctly fitted riding hat with harness done up. Thank you also to all my family and friends who have supported me."