There has been an outpour of support for the horse racers injured during an event in North Sydney on Saturday.
Three horses and their drivers bumped into each other at Northside Downs. The drivers were all taken to hospital and the horses were able to leave the track on their own.
One four-year-old horse named "I Am Able" had her eye swollen and legs bruised. Her owner, 61-year-old Danny Campbell, sustained a fractured hip, bruised ribs and a dislocated shoulder.
“I was coming around the bottom turn and heading up the straight away and my horse’s hopple got caught in his knee boot and down he went,” said Campbell.
The horse's fall caused a pile up, throwing the riders off their carts and onto the track.
“When he started going down I tried to pull him back,” said Campbell. “The back horse hit me and drove me forward and I lost full control.”
The crash has been the topic of discussion around the track since it happened. Horsemen say it was the worst they’ve seen in years.
Larry Snow has been racing horses for more than five decades and was one of the first men on the scene to help.
“When you see a guy lying down and he isn't getting up you are worried about him,” said Snow. “I had the same thing happen two years ago. You always worry about them and you go and help them.”
The horses involved in the accident suffered only minor injuries. While there were several riders involved there were only three sent to hospital.
One needed to be airlifted to Halifax in serious condition.
“J.W. Beaton has five broken ribs, bleeding, his lungs were punctured some, a broken bone in his back, broken in two places,” said horse jockey Sonny Rankin.
The race was the final one of the season. Those who love the sport admit crashes are sometimes part of the game.
Campbell's focus for now is recovering, but says he'll back on the track next season.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Kyle Moore.
