Getting back on the horse
Laura Stuart tells Janan Jay how the only way is up as she recovers and adapts after a spinal injury.
lost control,’’ she recalls.
‘‘Unfortunately it was on a corner, so I flew over the edge of the trail 5 metres down into the bush below ... land[ing] on a punga stump sticking out of the ground.
‘‘I tried to get up and immediately knew that I’d lost sensation in everything below my chest. Some people tried to call the ambulance there was no reception, so they had to go out. It took two hours for the ambulance and helicopter to get to me.’’
In November 2016, a relatively short time after the accident, Stuart took on one of her stretch goals, returning to Outward Bound, an adventure programme she’d initially participated in about a decade earlier.
‘‘I knew there was a special [version of the] course for people with physical disabilities and I’m a very outdoorsy person... one of my measures of success is my physical capability. ‘‘I found it just accelerated my rehabilitation hugely because I knew if I could do [it], I would feel like I was capable of doing anything.
‘‘It’s all sorts of outdoor activities, like kayaking, sailing and high rope courses. There’s a shortened version of tramping around the Pelorus and staying overnight camping. ‘‘Not only is it about yourself but about how you interact with others so – it’s all about teamwork – because you’re always having to organise your expeditions with your team and how to help each other.
‘‘Being able to be inspired by other people as well ... watching your teammates achieve, was really fulfilling.’’ After completing the course, Stuart is showing no signs of slowing down, as she’s currently horseriding at New Zealand Riding for the Disabled in Pauatahanui.
‘‘It’s such a wonderful feeling being on a horse, [it] is the closest I have felt being in outdoors, in the wilderness, where I was mountain biking and is like a different version of [that] really.
‘‘Except you have a horse with a mind of its own, which is probably a good thing, considering my record,’’ she jokes. ‘‘The aim is to ride [without the four volunteers] and do dressage, which is a stretch goal again, which is described as ‘ballet for horses’.’’
Stuart says the support of friends, family and the mountain biking community helped her get through her ordeal.
She has also found rehabilitation through all of the dedicated charities and networks for disabled people, like fortnightly Sunday morning strolls around Wellington with Achilles New Zealand.
Looking to the future, Stuart still has many stretch goals and is having a tough time choosing.
‘‘I have to decide shortly if I’m going to do the New York Marathon in November – that would require me to do it in a racing wheelchair which is 3-wheel, really low to the ground and I’ve only been in it twice, and that’s sort of daunting!
‘‘One of my others is to compete in sailing by myself, another great charity is Sailability which are based in Evans Bay and they take people out on customised sailboats.’’
Stuart, formerly a mentor as part of the Big Brothers Big Sisters programme, might also resume her involvement at some point.
Of her packed schedule, Stuart says ‘‘I just like to keep busy’’.
‘‘I love exercise and the outdoors – I’ve always been really active, that’s my way of life ... I don’t think I’d be very happy if I didn’t have all those activities in my life.
‘‘I guess for me ... I feel I didn’t have much choice but to keep pushing on because the alternative is dark and depressing – if you want to be happy, from a spinal injury, there’s only one way and that’s up.’’