ENGLISH COUNTRY LIFE TURNS NIGHTMARE -- MADONNA THROWN FROM HER HORSE; RUSHED TO HOSPITAL

NEW YORK -- Madonna's 47th birthday celebration was marred Tuesday when she suffered several broken bones in a horse riding accident at her country home outside London, her publicist told The Associated Press.

The superstar was treated and released from a hospital after sustaining three cracked ribs, a broken collarbone and a broken hand, according to Liz Rosenberg, her spokeswoman based in New York.

Madonna's husband, director Guy Ritchie, took her to the hospital, Rosenberg said.

The accident occurred Tuesday at Ashcombe house, the couple's 1,354-acre estate about 100 miles southwest of London.

Madonna and an assistant were riding when Madonna, on a horse she wasn't accustomed to riding, took a tumble. Her children, Rocco and Lourdes, were at the home but weren't with her at the time, Rosenberg said.

"The whole family was out in the country, celebrating her birthday," Rosenberg said.

Rosenberg said she didn't know if Madonna was returning to her Ashcombe estate after her release from the hospital.

Horseback riding has been a relatively recent hobby for the star.

"I think she had been riding for about four or five months," Rosenberg told the AP. "She's spent a lot of time riding when she was out in the country."

Madonna latest album is scheduled for release in November. When asked if the mishap would affect the singer's plans to promote the album, Rosenberg quipped: "She's walking and talking. I don't know if she's going to be hanging from a disco ball anytime soon." FULL STORY