A British woman has described how a dream holiday in Thailand turned into a nightmare after a horse riding accident left her with a £30,000 medical bill. Joanna Ingram, 57, from Belton, Norfolk, was on a two-week trip with her husband Stuart when she fell from a horse on 8 March 2026, suffering three spinal fractures.
Ingram underwent emergency spinal fusion surgery and is now recovering, but says her travel insurance company refuses to cover the costs, classifying horse riding as a 'high-risk' activity. The couple have been forced to fund her treatment themselves, facing daily hospital bills of £2,000.
'One minute I was on the back of the horse, the next I was laying on my back on the ground,' Ingram said. 'Doctors said I'd broken my back in three places. I was devastated.' She has since regained full movement, which she described as a 'miracle'.
The couple hope to fly home within 10 days, but the flight will add another £10,000 to their bill, plus £2,000 for a private ambulance. Friends and family have set up a GoFundMe page to help cover the costs. The Foreign Office advises that some activities abroad may not be covered by standard travel insurance.
