In September 2021, country singer Ashley McBryde was injured following a horseback riding accident in Montana. Her team shared the news on her social media pages, saying:
“Earlier today Ashley was enjoying her time in the beautiful state of Montana and had an accident while riding a horse. After a trip to the hospital and a few stitches (and some very sore bones) she is recovering and doing her best to ensure she can play again as soon as possible.“
McBryde later shared an update on her condition and explained the circumstances that led to her accident. She said she grew up riding horses “a fair amount” and has a lot of experience with them.
After her original horse “was determined to go faster than the pack,” McBryde switched to a young mare named Jenny. They made it past several obstacles with no issue, and “got along famously.”
But on their way back to the barn, something spooked Jenny. McBryde said this normally wouldn’t have been a problem, except for the fact that her right foot slipped out of the stirrup. McBrdye tried to put her foot back, but didn’t have any luck. Jenny “was loping at a pretty good pace” and McBryde feared she would “go over.”
That’s exactly what happened. McBryde said Jenny didn’t buck her off, but it was too difficult for her to stay on her back. She fell, and at first she thought she hit her shoulder. But she ended up hitting her head, resulting in “a pretty harsh concussion.” When McBryde issued this statement she was “not able to walk without assistance.”
Thankfully, McBryde made a full recovery, and soon returned to the stage. She has since released a new album (Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville), has been nominated for multiple CMA Awards, and was just asked to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry.
McBryde received her Opry invitation while she was a guest on CBS Mornings. During that interview, McBryde shared some new details about her 2021 horseback riding accident…revealing just how serious things were.
McBryde said “life-saving measures were taken” following her accident:
“It was pretty bad,” she shared. “We did kind of put out there that there had been an accident that had been a horse-specific wreck and that some shows were gonna have to be canceled. But we didn’t even know the extent of my injuries until all the imaging came back a little while later.“
McBryde was back onstage just six days after her accident. Looking back, she thinks she should have taken more time to recover:
“I know that I probably should have waited a little longer to get on stage,” she said. “I feel like six days after something that catastrophic was a little soon.”
McBryde has since gone back to Montana to visit Jenny and the people who saved her life after her accident:
“And to look at Bart and Wendy and Caroline — the people that were there and helped save my life — to look at them and really just know that they put breath into my lungs for me so that I would live,” she said. “And to be able to look at them and say ‘thank you for saving my life.‘”
You can watch McBryde’s full interview with CBS Mornings below. We’re so glad she’s doing well after her accident!