Olympic dressage rider Courtney King-Dye, who was severely injured in a riding accident on March 16, has begun hippotherapy in order to aid her recovery.

According to her website, Dye was released to an outpatient care facility on June 25 and has since ridden a horse twice in therapy.

“The first time, I was more nervous than before I rode in the Olympic Games! They told me it was OK to cry, but once I was on it was like home,” Dye said. “I didn’t know if I’d be able to do what I knew I must, but I did! I knew, for me, I had to separate the riding as a therapy, from the love of the horse.”

Dye continued, “I’m still keeping the good attitude, even though the reality of the situation has really sunk in. It is what it is, and I don’t intend to let it take any of my joy away!”

Dye sustained the injury in Loxahatchee, Fla., while riding a young horse. She was not wearing a helmet at the time and sustained a skull fracture in the fall, which left her in a coma for more than two weeks.