LAURA Collett doesn’t expect to have any apprehension about getting back in the saddle when she returns to action following the fall that left her in hospital for nine days last month.

Collett, 23, who is based at the Membury estate, sustained lung and rib damage and spent several days in an induced coma after falling from ride Tis A Beauty at Tweseldown Horse Trials at the start of July.

One of the rising stars of British eventing, who finished eighth on her debut at Badminton in 2011, Collett has been recuperating at the Oaksey House rehabilitation centre in Berkshire.

British Equestrian Federation world class performance manager Yogi Breisner believes the Wiltshire eventer could make a return to competitive action before the end of the current season, but Collett herself plans to ensure that she does not rush her comeback.

Collett, who hopes to challenge for a place on Great Britain’s team for the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016, say the fact that she simply does not remember her fall may be a blessing in disguise.

“I don’t remember it at all, so I don’t really have anything to worry about,” Collett told the Gazette & Herald.

Her rehabilitation is being funded by the British Olympic Association’s world-class scheme, allowing her access to top physiotherapists and conditioning work to aid her recovery.

“I’m still at Oaksey at the moment, doing a lot of strength and conditioning work and that’s been great so far – I don’t feel too bad now,’’ she said.

“Nobody knows how long it will take until I’m back though and there’s no point in guessing at this point.

“I just want to get back to normal now – that’s all I’m thinking about.”

Collett, who is training legendary steeplechaser Kauto Star in dressage among her string of horses at Membury, credited an air jacket, which inflates automatically if the rider is thrown from the saddle, for preventing further damage.

She suffered crush injuries to her lungs and liver, prompting her period of sedation although there were no injuries to her limbs and all tests to her head and brain were clear.

Collett, who was inundated with messages of support from across the eventing world after her fall, said: “Obviously, while I was in hospital I didn’t really get the chance to see any of the messages that I’d had and I was overwhelmed by how many there were when I finally read them all.’’

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