A woman who lost her leg in a motorbike accident is riding again, with the aid of a wooden prosthetic leg made by her grandfather.
Lost control
Kerry Waters was on a country lane when she was blinded by bright sunlight. She swerved her bike onto a grass verge and hit a telegraph pole’s wire support, which took her lower leg “clean off”.
She was lucky to not be decapitated, as the wire also caught the chin strap of her helmet, pulling it off.
“If my chin strap had been tighter, the wire would have taken off my head,” Kerry told H&C. “No one can believe how I have survived.”
Back in the saddle
Just five weeks after her accident, Kerry – who has ridden all her life – was back in the saddle.
“I went for walk around field at first, but within a couple of months I was hacking out,” she said. “I struggled a bit with my balance, especially in rising trot.
“I managed ok with straight lines, but working in the school on the right rein hard was hard and my transitions from canter to trot were a bit choppy.”
Six months on, Kerry is walking again using a prosthetic leg and is back to work as a full-time dental nurse.
Amazing family
“You just had to get on with it,” Kerry states. “I blocked it all out to start with – but now I do get days when I’m very down and I struggle.
“My family have been absolutely amazing. We were pretty close anyway, but they are just so supportive. No-one treats me any differently – I sometimes think they’ve forgotten I’ve lost a leg!”
Her grandfather has even made her a wooden leg to help her balance in the saddle, as the prosthetic leg supplied by the hospital isn’t suitable for riding.
“The NHS hasn’t make a leg for horse riding before, so I need to get one custom-made which will could cost up to £60,000.”
Olympic dreams
The 30-year-old currently doesn’t have a horse to ride, but says once she has the right prosthetic leg she plans to loan or buy her own and start taking riding lessons.
Prior to the accident Kerry competed in local shows in Essex. She also spent two years in Australia, where she worked on a stud farm bringing on youngsters.
“I’d really like to have a go a para-dressage,” she said. “My ultimate aim is to compete in the Paralympics.”
‘Biggest passion’
Since her accident Kerry has raised £4,500 for the Essex Air Ambulance, who saved her life on that fateful day. She now hopes to raise money to buy her prosthetic leg, so she can get back into riding again.
“Horses are my biggest passion, so there was never any question about me not riding again,” she says. “But I probably won’t mess around with bikes again.”
To make a donation visit Kerry’s fundraising page.