“Very Close to My Heart”: Para-Rider Breaks Down While Making an Appeal to Save Her Disabled Horse Riding Center

An unintentional legal mishap put a competitive para and formerly abled rider Sarah Cumberland before the counselor to save her horse riding facility in North Lincolnshire. The Belton native’s horse riding ages back to the time when she began walking on her feet. In her promising showjumping career, she even represented Great Britain. Yet, upon hitting a setback in her prime, she remained hesitant to give up on her passionate equestrian journey.

For the love of horses and an ever-ending fuel of desire, she set up her own disabled horse riding facility named the Avalon Mill Equestrian Centre in 2022. The upsetting adventures had more in store for Cumberland as she got diagnosed with cancer. With a vision closest to her heart, could she really give up on her equestrian dreams?

Belton-based showjumper sets up a facility amid personal battles

Sarah lived a normal life until a tragic accident changed it forever, leaving her in complete despair. She took time to recover from a broken back, fractured pelvis, dislocated shoulder, and amputated finger, along with growing cancer. Cumberland kept a realistic mindset in the hardest situations. She bounced back with a plan to spread her knowledge to other riders and completed the required qualifications. Once the groundwork was laid, she hunted for a plot, worked up the terms with the landlord, and secured a loan to launch her business.

Although the land was previously associated with equestrian use for over two decades, Sarah missed out on the planning permission required to set up a new business. The left-out legal work ended up putting Cumberland in front of the councilors in tears to save her horse school, as she put in an impassioned plea. Sarah has already invested money in transforming the five acres of land with 400 tonnes of stone and 330 tonnes of sand for an all-weather surface. In her plea, she says, “It’s very close to my heart for my own personal battles”.

She continues to win her personal battles with her thyroid cancer and disability while reluctant to give up on her saddle life. Her strongest companion through thick and thin remains her horse Avalon Mill, who inspired the disabled horse school’s name. The duo has accomplished many wins, including the British national para showjumping league representing Great Britain and Britain showjumping. As Sarah continues to take on the battles of life, she has made significant advancements in her venture.

Equestrian’s future planning for the school

Belton’s qualified horse trainer holds an agreement with Bransby Horses (Rescue and Welfare), the largest horse charity in the UK, to shelter and rehabilitate the horses and ponies. She continues to teach valuable lessons to the disabled and abled horse riders at Avalon Mill Equestrian Centre.

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Her disability has provided disabled horses and ponies with a new caring home, and a learning opportunity for riders, non-riders, and disabled riders through her school. In another noble initiative, she introduced a charity called Isle Ride to Recover, where she aims to teach more disabled horse riders. The equestrian community can bow down to her ability to focus on rising along with others when hit by a setback.

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