Brave Mandy defies the odds
THEY breed 'em tough at Imbil and they don't come much tougher than young endurance rider Mandy Watt.
Mandy remained in Nambour Hospital yesterday, lucky to be alive and looking forward to a complete recovery after receiving head, spinal and other injuries when she fell from her bolting horse in the middle of the Imbil Forestry on Tuesday afternoon.
Alone after the accident, and showing amazing strength and determination, she resaddled her horse Ali and rode 4km through the forestry to a main road.
She is not sure how long she was unconscious for, and was covered in cuts and bruises and abrasions.
Mandy should still be preparing for the 2500km Horse Ride for Charity she was scheduled to leave for on August 3; an adventure she has been planning and looking forward to for months.
Although Mandy clearly won't be making the ride this year, her endurance in the face of adversity was proven on Tuesday afternoon.
Her mobile phone had no reception in the forestry and Mandy knew there were not going to be any cars driving by, so she did what she had to do and rode until she reached Imbil's Number 1 Crossing.
There she was discovered by Theis employee "Damian", who rang her mother, former Gympie councillor Jan Watt, and stayed with her until help arrived.
