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Equestrian Lifestyle

November 2016

Rachel Stock New Zealand Paralympian

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Being disabled is not an Excuse….

Para-Equestrian is the sport of equestrian for people with any physical or visual impairment. It includes two equestrian disciplines—dressage and driving.

Para– Equestrian Dressage is the only equestrian discipline that is included in the Paralympics Games. ‘High Performance Sport New Zealand, 2016’

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ust because someone has a disability, it does not mean that life for them comes to a halt.

For Rachel Stock, her disability has opened up many new avenues and experiences that she would never have thought possible.

Rachel Stock is a Paralympian who not only represented New Zealand at the London Paralympics, but Rachel also qualified for the 2016 Paralympics held in Rio earlier this year. Due to some politics with the New Zealand selection, and also because her horse would need to spend 4 months in Europe due to the risk of glanders, prior to entering quarantine; Rachel felt that it was not in her horses best interest to attend this years Paralympics.

Rachel first broke her back during a competition in March 1993. It was from the long recovery process of this accident that Rachel went NZ Horse & Pony November 2016

on to be diagnosed with a bone disease which has destroyed her joints. “I have no cartilage in my hand, shoulder, neck, hips or knees, making the joints fused.

When your body has no cartilage, it makes it very painful to use these joints, and over time they drastically reduce your range of movement until you have almost none left.”

First noticed while performing in ‘Open able-bodied’ riding, Rachel was approached by ‘High Performance Sport New Zealand’ and asked if she could be reclassified so that she could enter the Paralympics. Winning awards, Rachel also managed to get her horses qualified. With the London Paralympics, Rachel became the first person ‘ever’ to qualify two horses for the Paralympics. A decision, on which horse to take with her to the Paralympics, would also sadly mean that the other horse would need to be sold to help with funding.

Allysa Carberry Story Allysa Carberry Photographer

Rachel Stock with partner and fiancĂŠ Gwyn Hughes, and their dog Toby . Taken after a hard riding session with Trainer Philip Oxenius.

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Rachel with her dog Toby

Rachel and her horse ‘Bates Rimini Park Emmerich’ or Ricky for short.

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There is no funding available for Paralympians. “Everything is shouldered by the family, except for travel to the Olympic Games. Because I am one of the top 10 Paralympic riders in the world, the ‘International Paralympic Committee’ pays for my horse to be flown to and from the games. This funding wasn’t going to help us with the Rio Paralympics, because of the prequarantine issues.” “The Tokyo Games will come around quickly and Tokyo is a much better place: climate wise, health wise, flying wise. My horse however will spend three days in a crate as there are no direct flights.”

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“When you have horses, there is no day that you can stop and just relax”

ABOVE: The brothel is in an area where it is part of a busy shopping mall.

A horse needs more than one bridal strap.

Everywhere you look in Rachel's home, you’ll find horse items.

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For Rachel and her fiancée Gwyn Hughes, life revolves around their horses and their farm. “When you have horses, there is no day that you can stop and just relax. The horses have to come out of their boxes, they and their boxes then need to be cleaned and the horses bandaged and their rugs done, as well as all their poop picked up; they have to be ridden, even in the pouring rain.

The stables where the horses spend their day

Having horses, is a motivating thing to do, because horses cannot look after themselves. They need to be tendered and they need to be exercised.” “We breed these finely bred horses that have to be in a stable as they can’t be left in the field, so when they are in stables, the amount of care that they need goes through the roof.”

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here are days that Rachel is unable to do things due to the pain that she suffers, “some days I am fearful and I struggle to do what I need to do, and when this happens, I do less of it and I stick to the basics.”

Inside the Trailer that went with Rachel to the London Paralympics 2012

Although Rachel and Gwyn live with family, they do all the work in regards to the horse and the farm.

Rachel’s mum and daughters will help out if the couple are away, but what is required will be limited, and the couple always try to take both horses away with them whenever possible.

Since living together as a couple, Gwyn is the one that gets up at 6am to complete all the morning chores that have to do with the horses, as it takes some time for Rachel’s drugs to kick in, and for her body to start moving. Once up, they do the chores together. ____

“Some days I am fearful and I struggle to do what I need to do” __ Rachel not only works many hours with her horses, but she also works 32 hours per week in employment.

Having horse’s means that you can never have a day when you can do nothing, “I would love a duvet day.

Every now and again, I notice something on the television, and think how nice it would be to stay in and watch it.”

Owning and breeding horses means that you can never get holidays. Owning horses is a lifestyle choice, “If you have chosen this lifestyle, then this is your lifestyle.”

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Toby the dog goes everywhere with Rachel

FiancĂŠ Gwyn Hughes helps Rachel to get strapped to her horse

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Horses are our lifestyle

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wyn had never touched a horse before coming together as a couple with Rachel. While living in his home country of Wales, Gwyn used to think of horses as frightening creatures. Rachel says that Gwyn now knows more about breeding horses, their bloodlines, and how to look after them more than she herself knows. Gwyn does all the heavy stuff around the farm and Rachel does the riding of the horses. This works well for all concerned, as Rachel can then concentrate on improving both her and her horse’s performances. ___

Pain is the hardest thing for Rachel to cope with __ Living in the small community of Tuakau, Rachel is thankful for all the support that they get from the 8 / NZ Horse & Pony November 2016

Waiting to be taken out for a ride

community. “They are fantastic where we are; when we need help; when we are fundraising, this is a very strong community when we are fundraising to get away”.

Pain is the hardest thing for Rachel to cope with, as it can undermine her fitness. “It may look like I am gliding around, but every time the horse puts its foot down; it has done that in response to something that I have done with my leg, hand or my feet.” there is no time for Rachel to just collapse after riding her horses as the they need to be washed, massaged, feed and put in the stables. Usually by the time Rachel finally makes it into bed at night, her whole body spasms and she often gets massive cramps.

If Rachel could have one wish granted, it would be for Gwyn to get a break, so that he could spend time with his other hobby of racing pigeons. If this was to happen though, Rachel feels that Gwyn might worry that the person wasn’t doing everything right.

Rachel is unsure about her future and how long she can continue

Gwyn preparing the horse’s feed

doing what she does at the moment. “We are definitely going to the Tokyo Paralympics and then we don’t know. We’ll see how my health is and if Gwyn is ready to kill me. We will need to see if we have other things that we need to invest in, as you never get ahead with a lifestyle like ours—maybe the Olympics after Tokyo, Gwyn can have a turn at competing in show jumping.”

As time moves ahead, Rachel is aware that her health is getting worst. It is a degenerative disease after all. “I have days where I shuffle around, and can barely put one foot in front of the other, and other days, where I can walk up and down the driveway.”

Does Rachel see herself as disabled” “Yeah, yeah I do. There are so many things that I can’t do—I can’t go up and down stairs, but I have never had anything from anyone based on my health, because it is not accidental, so it is not covered by the ‘Accident Compensation Corporation’, and I have continued to work despite that because one day I will need to stop, so why should I stop now?”

Rachel and Toby head down the driveway for a session with Trainer, Philip Oxenius

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rior to Gwyn coming along, Rachel’s mum Lois would do a lot of the outside chores. Rachel could mow the lawns on the ride on mower and Lois would do a lot of the other things required. “Mum can repair a fence, or repair a water trough, but she shouldn’t have to do all of that stuff at her age, and she is finally realising this, but Gwyn now does it all. I could do it, but everything you do, you pay a price. I used to do it because I had to, but then it affected my ability to ride.”

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“My daughters are my biggest achievement in life” __ Rachel swells with pride as she speaks about her two daughters, Chelsea and Caitlin as being her greatest achievement in life. “It would be the level of respect, understanding and empathy that my two girls have learnt from it all. I have the most caring, sensible, honest, empathic and realistic young ladies. They are actually ‘model citizens’, because they have been to so many sides of the world and seen so many different types of people— they’ve got close friends who do not have any legs, and they know someone who has no arms, but she can bridal her horse with her feet. They met her through me—they’ve travelled the world to support me, and they are amazing.”

Rachel’s daughters might be her ultimate achievement in life, but her biggest achievement in the ‘horse’ world to date would have to be the London Paralympics and finishing in the top ten.

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Rachel feels that even coming home alive from those games, was an achievement in itself.

Riding a horse can be quite dangerous. Over the years, Rachel has broken her back three times as well as broken her hips twice. Rachel also needs to be strapped to her saddle, which means that she is unable to get off her horse should something go wrong. Rachel can fall off her horse, but in this instance, she would then be dragged behind the horse due to being strapped on. “I can’t jump off, I’m strapped on, so if the horse is ripping into me, I have to ride it all the way to the end, however it ends; I have to be there for the ending. Because I can’t get off; I can’t jump off.”

judge people who are getting out their every day and slogging it.

You’re not on your own, just because we may live 20 miles or 100 miles apart and it’s unsecular; you’re not on your own; other people understand your journey.”

When asked what wisdom she would like to pass on to other disabled riders, Rachel had the following to say….

“If anyone is struggling to get up each day to work and to do their horses every day, because it is an unsecular, isolating and lonely bloody sport, with so many downs that you ride these stupid highs for three days to stay sane—it would be to help them because, they’re not alone, we are all doing it, but we are doing it apart from each other.

Regardless of your financial situation, don’t look at other people and assume that they have got it all because they have two nice horses and winning stuff and things. My path is to have come from a mum giving up everything for me, me giving up everything; us not having a haircut, or nice clothes, or nice anything for all these years, because this is our priority that we have chosen. We are winning things because we are up at 6am and out there until at least 8pm at night. Both horses get worked every bloody day and if you’re riding your horse three days a week and getting shitty because you’re not getting placed, - then look at yourself before you

Rachel is strapped to her horse

When your horse does well, he deserves a pat in recognition of his hard work

Rachel during her training session

Rachel n discussion with her Trainer

Trainer Philip Oxenius looks on during Rachel's Training

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During Training

Training hard

The horses paddock where they sleep at night

During Training

The training ring

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