"I don't remember the fall. I was just riding in a paddock at our place. The last I remember I was at a very sedate walk on the horse."
Two local children, who were playing in the paddock, later told Ms Reeves they witnessed her being thrown from her horse at breakneck speed.
"Something must have spooked [the horse], maybe she was stung by a bee or something. All of a sudden she was galloping flat out and I was trying to get her to stop. When I came to I was lying on my back and surrounded by heaps of people."
She did not blame her horse, Candace, which she described as a "very quiet girl". "She's a gentle, chilled out horse, but sometimes accidents happen."
The children, who had seen Ms Reeves fall, ran to alert emergency services. The Lowe Corporation Rescue Helicopter took her to Hawke's Bay Hospital. She hoped to be discharged from hospital today.
"I'm just feeling glad I decided to put on my safety gear. It's easy to slack off with wearing a helmet, it's like if you're just riding your bike down to the local dairy. But you never know when an accident will happen."
Figures released to Hawke's Bay Today by ACC showed the region was the third-worst in the country for horse-related accident claims, behind Christchurch City and Auckland City.
There were more than 3700 claims in the region between 2005 and 2014, totalling almost $5.4 million.
Top Hawke's Bay showjumper Claire Wilson said that Ms Reeves' accident served as a reminder for riders to wear their helmets.
"A lot of people think [wearing a helmet] kills the fun of galloping along on your horse and having a good old time, but it is really important. I'm really glad Emma wasn't as badly hurt as she could have been."