A Queensland jockey could lose his legs after he was discovered trapped under a dead horse, six hours after it collapsed.
Shane McGovern, 67, took nine-year-old gelding Reformist for a routine session on Wednesday in the rural town of Charters Towers, 136km southwest of Townsville.
However, Reformist is understood to have suffered an aneurysm, falling onto the country jockey, trapping his legs and cutting off his circulation.
He was found six hours later by his wife, Kim.
‘I thought ‘well, that’s Shane, he’ll just go off for a ride’, which is what he does because the horse was supposed to be racing on Monday,’ she told Racenet on Friday.
‘But I’m absolutely kicking myself, and it’s a thing I will never forget.
‘And then this ghoulish little arm comes up, and he says ‘I’m all right’.’
Mr McGovern is now in an induced coma at Townsville Hospital, according to Australian Jockeys’ Association health and safety officer Kevin Ring.
Queensland jockey Shane McGovern (pictured) was pinned under a horse after it died during a routine training session and collapsed on him
He was found six hours later by his wife and is now in hospital in an induced coma
‘He couldn’t move his legs so that naturally affected his blood circulation and caused nerve damage as well,’ the official told Racenet.
‘There’s a possibility he may lose one or both legs.’
Mr McGovern has undergone surgery, with his calf areas still being monitored due to concerns he could develop an infection or tissue damage.
‘He was conscious but they’ve got him on high-powered drugs and he’s hallucinating and then gets a bit hyperventilated,’ his wife Kim added.
‘They knocked him back out into an induced coma, put the breathing tube back in to give his body a rest and they’ll keep him like that for a couple of days.’
