OLIVIA LANGLEY
Liv became a regular visitor to the Centre after injury in 2019 and since then has not only returned to work and to her first sport but also picked up another competitive activity.
“I was really lucky that I started at the Centre three months before lockdown in 2020, so I had a chance to meet everyone and start my sessions, then I had ongoing support through lockdown,” Liv says.
Working hard at the Centre, Liv took her first steps supported by the physio team and then did a 100-step challenge to mark 100 weeks of her recovery, raising more than £2,000 for the Foundation along the way.
She also made enough progress to get back in the saddle and started to compete in para dressage.
“As I got stronger, getting back into riding was in the back of my mind though I wasn’t sure how I’d go about doing it,” she says. “But, after talking it through with the therapy team, getting on a horse again came almost naturally. It was just ‘let’s see what happens’ at first, then as soon as I got to the point of knowing ‘I can do this’ I was focused on being able to compete again too.”
Liv then took a slightly different turn and found a new challenge in carriage-driving.
She says: “I was asked if I wanted to try and, although I thought I wouldn’t enjoy it, I still gave it a go and absolutely loved it so I hope to keep going with both areas,” she says.
“It is a completely different feeling to riding. I feel more freedom but also more in control with the carriage driving. While I am still limited in riding, once I am in the carriage I’m the same as anybody else. That is a very nice feeling.”
“Getting on a horse again came almost naturally. It was ‘let’s see what happens’ at first, then as I got to the point of knowing
‘I can do this’ I was focused on being able to compete again too.”
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Help Matt reach his goal by adding to his fundraising here:
Sponsorship opportunities to attach a brand to his marathon challenge are also available. Email fundraising@hambo.co.uk for details.