Queensland jockey James Orman has finger bitten off by horse while applying tongue tie

Queensland’s leading jockey James Orman lost the tip of his finger after it was bitten off by a horse. Warning: Graphic image

James Orman had the tip of his finger bitten off by a horse on Tuesday morning. Picture: Grant Peters/Trackside Photography

Leading Queensland jockey James Orman has an appointment on Tuesday afternoon to determine the next steps with his bitten off finger.

Orman was removing a tongue tie on the Rob Heathcote-trained Prince Of Boom when that horse nipped and tore the tip of his finger off on Tuesday morning at trackwork.

**WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGE**

The appointment is set to decide whether they reattach the tip of the finger or stitch up the wound.

X-rays also revealed a distal phalanx fracture.

Orman was calm when he told Punters on Tuesday morning he was headed for X-rays at which time doctors were weighing up the possibility of surgery.

Just spoke with James Orman
Top of his finger was bitten off by a horse this AM
He was removing a tongue tie at the time

Just arrived at hospital 🙏
Surgery awaits pic.twitter.com/sSMEVwReIW

— STEVE HEWLETT 🏇🎣 🛥👩‍🦳📻🏃‍♂️ (@stevejoseph69) December 9, 2024

“It just took the tip off when I was removing the tongue tie,” Orman said.

“I definitely felt it and I’m just getting X-rays at the minute.”

Recovery time for a cut-off fingertip depends on the extent of the injury with small wounds able to heal on their own with a recovery time of two to four weeks.

Larger injuries that require surgery can take weeks, or in some cases, months to heal.

It puts Orman in a race against time to be healthy for next month’s lucrative Magic Millions carnival on the Gold Coast.

It’s a carnival that Orman missed in 2018 after sustaining a wedge fracture to vertebrae T9 following a race fall while suspension ruled him out of the meeting in 2021.

The injury comes only a day after last year’s national premiership winning rider William Pike broke his wrist while falling off an e-scooter.

Orman finished second to Pike in last season’s title and currently sits in fifth spot for the 2024/2025 season on 50 winners.

He had been booked to ride four runners at Wednesday’s Ipswich card in his quest to extend his lead in the Queensland metropolitan jockeys’ premiership.

Booting home a total of 30 winners for the season gives Orman a healthy lead with apprentice hoop Emily Lang in second spot with 24 wins.

Originally published as Queensland jockey James Orman has finger bitten off by horse while applying tongue tie