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Little Jessica’s life-changing ride

Some ingenious adjustments to riding gear has changed little Jessica Doyle’s life.

Born with her stomach outside her torso and hyperextended elbows and knees, Jessica has already faced massive challenges in her short life.

The Strathalbyn seven-year-old has amyoplasia, a rare muscular condition that typically causes joint deformity in newborns.

Jessica has a full-time carer – mother Ashlee Potter, supported by her family – and a love of horses, brought about by her family’s background, particularly in thoroughbred racing.

She experiences a rare freedom in riding her pony, Butterfly, but mother and daughter were finding the task nearly impossible due to Jessica’s severe physical limitations.

Fortunately, some relatively simple, but clever adjustments to Butterfly’s riding gear at the recent Equine Pathways Australia (EPA) clinic at The Riding Patch have proven life-changing.

“Jess has good core strength, but with her disability, she lacks muscle… and she struggles to get her legs in the right position to keep herself balanced,” Ashlee explained.

“But a few modifications, with a bit of Velcro and some extra packing, literally made all the difference.

“She used to need someone to hold her, and keep pushing her back into the centre of the saddle all the time, but now she’s staying put perfectly all on her own.”

The simple changes have been a ray of sunshine in Jessica’s life.

“She’s so much more confident sitting on her pony,” Ashlee said.

“She actually wants to ride every day now. She had previously been taught how to ride, but she knew it was a bit trickier for her than other people.

“Her biggest struggles are going to be her physical mobility, but obviously riding is a really amazing therapy for her mentally, and also physically.”

Fear of the unknown meant Jessica was “a little bit nervous” before the EPA clinic.

“She is normally around a lot of people who don’t have disabilities, but there were lots of other people – of different ages and sizes – with disabilities, so it was good for her to see that there are other people out there who have struggles like her,” Ashlee said.

“The EPA people were so knowledgeable and they’ve worked with many people with a disability in the past.”

While welcoming the positive change to her daughter’s life, single mum Ashlee is acutely aware the future will present countless more hurdles.

“She’s had quite a few surgeries and plasterings to straighten her ankles out, but also to get some bend in her knees,” Ashlee said.

“At one point when she was first born, they said they couldn’t guarantee she would be able to walk.

“She is walking but she requires ankle foot orthosis in her boots to support her ankles, and stop her having relapses with her clubbed feet.

“She’s always going to need certain pieces of equipment that enable her to be mobile and the aim is to get her as independent as possible.”

Racing runs in Jessica’s family. Her uncle – and Ashlee’s brother – Justin Potter is a top Adelaide jockey, while her grandfather Bruce is a long-time thoroughbred trainer.

Ashlee has worked in a local racing stable previously, while Jessica’s father was also a jockey.

“She’s always been around racing and she loves it,” Ashlee said.

“And Justin is Jessica’s biggest hero and her favourite person in the world. She adores him and he adores her.”

Justin, who successfully returned to race riding last weekend after a long, injury-enforced layoff, said Jessica’s love affair with riding warms his heart.

“With all the problems that she’s got, she’s still a pretty cheerful kind of kid – and riding makes her really shine,” he said.

“She loves her horses and the fact I’m a jockey inspires her to want to ride too.

“It makes you happy. She’s really coming out of her shell now.”

To learn more about Equine Pathways Australia visit the group’s website.

 

IMAGE: Sara Gilligan, Southern Argus.

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