An teenager’s dream to become a jockey has been crushed after she fell off the back of a galloping horse – leaving her as a tetraplegic.
The trainer who allowed 19-year-old Sophia Malthus to ride the horse with her limited experience is now facing a $300,000 bill over the injury, which has left Ms Malthus paralysed from the collar down.
Stephen McKee entered a guilty plea in an Auckland courthouse, but claimed he believed Ms Malthus’ hours of private lessons would have sufficed as enough training, Newsroom reported.
Ms Malthus has since undergone multiple surgeries, and requires 24-hour care.
Sophia Malthus was an aspiring jockey and had several lessons with placid, slow moving horses before the incident
An aspiring jockey was left a tetraplegic after she came off the back of a galloping horse
However her previous training sessions had only dealt with old and subdued horses, and she had never experienced a horse galloping before.
Ms Malthus lost control of the horse, who was reaching high speeds, and only galloped faster when she began to scream.
She fell and hit a fence, which broke her spine in multiple places.
Despite the setbacks, Ms Malthus has remained in high spirits and is constantly in rehabilitation with the hopes of one day regaining more of her autonomy.
‘I am currently going through rehab at the Auckland Spinal Unit which is teaching me how to live with being in an electric wheelchair and some very basic self-help skills but on the whole, I require full time round the clock care.’
Despite the setbacks, Ms Malthus has remained in high spirits and is constantly in rehabilitation with the hopes of one day regaining more of her autonomy
‘I have high hopes of gaining enough recovery to lead a full life again and to achieve this I will need to pursue many alternative treatments which are not currently funded by the health system here,’ she wrote on her GiveALittle fundraising page.
‘These include but are not limited to Peptide/Hyperbaric Oxygen and Stem Cell therapy and even virtual reality running/walking therapy.’
Her hope is to one day educate others who are also in her position, concluding the message by saying she ‘would love to share the knowledge she gains with others in the same position.’
Ms Malthus lost control of the horse, who was reaching high speeds, and only galloped faster when she began to scream