SOUTH Central Ambulance Service has apologised for taking 39 minutes to get to a woman who was seriously injured in a horse-riding accident in the New Forest.

Sheila Gold, 55, from Tiptoe suffered what turned out to be a double skull fracture when she was thrown from her mount and then kicked in the head just a few yards from her home on Tuesday evening of last week.

She is currently in a stable condition in Southampton General Hospital.

The alarm was first raised by Caroline Clegg, wife of Radio Solent presenter Julian Clegg, when Mrs Gold’s horse Gypsy returned without its rider.

A fire service co-responder from New Milton and Basics life-saving charity’s Dr Nick Maskery gave the injured woman oxygen and kept her sedated until the ambulance eventually arrived and took her to hospital in Southampton.

An ambulance spokesman said: “South Central Ambulance Service can confirm that we were called at 18.44 on May 25, 2010 to reports of a female who had fallen off a horse.

“The co-responder was on scene within five minutes of the call providing support and care prior to the arrival of the ambulance.”

The spokesman said “the ambulance arrived on scene at 19.24, 39 minutes after the initial call.

“We are currently reviewing the incident and cannot therefore make any further comment until we have received the results of that review.

“We would like to apologise for the delay and the distress caused to the patient and their family.”

The spokesman could not confirm how long it might take for the review to take place, saying “there’s a lot of information that needs to be gone through”.

Mrs Gold’s five-year-old mount was apparently scared by a van which had slowed to overtake in Wootton Road.

Her husband Richard said she was still very ill and had no recollection of what had happened. Because she had been on a young horse, she had been wearing a riding hat.