Katie Robertson, from Fife, had been selected to compete for Great Britain when she was seriously injured in a fall at a show in Wales.
Aged 14 at the time, she never regained the confidence to ride competitively.
But the 20-year-old sport and psychology student is now playing hockey at full international level.
Ms Robertson, a former pupil at Kilgraston School, made the Scotland Under-18 team at 16 - just two years after her accident in 2010, which left her unconscious and with a broken shoulder and collar bone.
She said she had refused to let the fall from her horse, Atlantic Swift, put her off pursuing a career in sport.
"I did ride a couple of times after that but I didn't have the confidence to really go for it," she said.
"I took up hockey because I wanted something to fill up my time and it has just gone on from there.
"We are training just now for World League 3 in Brussels in June and if we reach the quarter-final stages then we qualify for the World Cup in London next year."
The third-year student is on Abertay's elite athlete development programme and is completing her course part-time to allow additional training time for both club and country.
After graduating, the Grove Menzieshill player hopes to stay in sport both as a competitor and a coach.
An Abertay University athlete who survived a "terrifying" showjumping accident is preparing to compete for Scotland after switching to hockey.