The Scottish Mail on Sunday - You
HEALTH NOTES
PARALYMP IC DRESSAGE CHAMPION Natasha Baker MBE, 27, won five gold medals between the 2012 and 2016 Paralympics, among a long list of other triumphs. She lives with her partner Marc Jaconelli, an engineer, near her parents’ farm in Uxbridge, where her three horses are stabled. I was born without a thyroid gland and cannot produce two key hormones that affect growth [Natasha is 5ft 1in], so I take thyroxine. Then, at 14 months, I developed a rare neurological disorder called transverse myelitis (TM), which attacked my spinal cord.
At first, I was completely paralysed from the waist down. After lots of physiotherapy, I learned to walk again with a metal frame when I was about four. I progressed to two walking sticks, and today I just need one. I have permanent nerve damage and my legs are weak, but I can walk very short distances, which gives me a precious bit of independence. The rest of the time I have a wheelchair, a disability scooter – and horses.
Horses have always been part of my life. My mum, who rode herself, plonked me on a pony in a basket saddle before I was one. After I developed TM I went to a local riding school, but my disability made it hard to build a partnership with different ponies and instructors.
My physiotherapist recommended Riding for the Disabled Association, a national charity (rda.org.uk). I joined the South Bucks branch when I was eight. It was such a relief because the people at RDA understood my disability and so did the horses. I loved riding so much; it was all I talked about.
In 1999, I won the Handy Pony National Championships and found I enjoyed competing. Handy Pony was fun but when I started doing dressage, having to remember all the tiny details while I was riding in front of judges and spectators was nerve-racking. Nowadays it’s different: my horses are my best friends and I love competing with them.
My legs do almost nothing – I don’t use stirrups so they just hang. I direct the horse with voice commands, which we practise constantly, and use my seat. Balance and core stability are the keys. I do exercises on a swiss ball and swim, which I love.
RDA gave me the foundation and the inspiration to follow my dreams and made me realise I can do anything on a horse. Nothing is holding me back.
I don’t remember what it is like to be able-bodied. I haven’t got better or worse since I was 11, although some days I am stiffer than others. I wouldn’t have this wonderful life without my disability, so what is there to be down in the dumps about?