Yorkshire showjumper who suffered serious injuries in a fall opens her own riding school

Sarah began exploring the idea of launching her own riding school when her showjumping career was thrown into jeopardy after she experienced a life-changing accident, which left her with a broken back, fractured pelvis and a dislocated shoulder. As a result of the accident, she had one of her fingers amputated, and to make matters worse, during her recovery, Sarah was diagnosed with cancer.

Facing the very realistic prospect of never being able to ride competitively again, Sarah used her recuperation to explore ways of passing on her knowledge and experience to others. She began working towards completing her coaching qualifications, and then she spotted an opportunity to give a new lease of life to some unused farmland, which had fallen into a state of disrepair. With terms agreed with the landowner, Sarah approached Doncaster based Finance For Enterprise, which provides loans and support for start ups, to help her secure the vital funds needed to put her plans into practice.

Now, Sarah regularly finds herself back in the saddle, and after successfully entering three shows and securing three wins, she decided to name her new horse-riding school in honour of her horse, Avalon Mill.

Sarah and Avalon Mill finished top of the table in last summer’s British national para showjumping league and have also represented Great Britain and British Showjumping on a number of occasions.

On her return to competitive showjumping, Sarah was invited to compete against able-bodied riders in Munich. A year later Sarah and Avalon followed up their success in Bon Heiden, Belgium, where she went one step better to secure first place.

Although para showjumping is not currently an internationally recognised Paralympic event, Sarah still dreams of representing her country at the Olympic Games and is currently considering whether to compete in dressage events.

In addition, she supports rescue horses and ponies, helping them to recover before being found foster homes, and hopes to expand her horse-riding school by launching Isle Ride to Recover, a dedicated charity aimed at helping children with hidden and visible disabilities to experience horse riding in a safe environment.

She said: “I’ve been horse riding for nearly as long as I could walk, but despite the injuries I experienced, it never crossed my mind to give up, and I could never have imagined a future where horses didn’t play a part in my life. The accident made me more determined than ever to be able to compete again, and although I was initially told it could take over a year before I could even think about horse riding again, I was back in the saddle within just eight months.

"During that time, I began thinking about my career to date and how I could use the knowledge I’ve built up during my lifetime to help inspire others. I would regularly ride past the land I’d identified and felt it would make a great place for a riding school, so I decided to approach the landowner.

“To my surprise, she listened to me and eventually agreed to let me use the land. I realised that to achieve what I wanted, I would need to raise additional funds, and when she allowed me to buy the land from her, I decided to approach Finance For Enterprise to help fund the improvements I wanted to make.

"I decided to name my business after my horse, Avalon Mill. She’s a once in a lifetime horse, and I wanted to call the business after her to recognise everything that she’s made possible in my showjumping career. She must be something of a lucky charm for me, as I’ve not only continued to enjoy success in the events I’ve entered, but the business has also gone from strength-to-strength, and I’m hoping to launch a charitable arm to the business in the near future.”

With offices in Grimsby and Doncaster, Finance For Enterprise provides a range of tailored business loans up to £250,000, aimed at helping small and medium-sized businesses overcome barriers to growth by delivering a range of tailored lending solutions. The not-for-profit organisation acts as a delivery partner for the government-backed Recovery Loan Scheme, Start Up Loans UK, and also acts as a fund manager for the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund.