A Texas woman who was injured in a truck accident while participating in a charity horseback ride is expected to make a full recovery. Her horse, however, was not so lucky.

Sharon Slayden and her husband, Bob, were in the last days of a horseback ride across Texas as part of their "Cowboys Against Cancer" initiative. Working to raise money for the American Cancer Society as part of a Relay for Life team, the Slaydens were riding from Jacksonville to El Paso when they stopped to help a stranded motorist. Shortly afterward, when Sharon was back on her horse, she was struck by a Union Pacific pickup truck between Van Horn and El Paso.

The man the Slaydens had stopped to assist was, fortunately, an EMS worker, and was able to stabilize Sharon until an ambulance arrived. She was taken to a hospital in El Paso. Sharon suffered injuries to her leg, requiring surgeries on her knee and ankle. Her horse, who had been in the Slayden family for 16 years, was killed instantly.

According to Bob Slayden, Sharon is expected to make a full recovery. "She's doing okay," he said, adding that she is awake and talking. Her injuries were not life-threatening, but will require extensive physical therapy.

According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, the truck driver was not injured. The accident is still under investigation, but DPS has no plans to file charges.

Through Cowboys Against Cancer, the Slaydens have raised $2,000 for the American Cancer Society. Cherokee County Relay for Life chair Cynthia Kline says that Sharon has remained positive, and is looking to the future. "She is in excellent spirits," Kline said. "She is already committed to doing the ride again next year."

Source: Odessa American Online, "Woman hospitalized, horse killed", Gabriella Lopez, 29 September 2010