A life-altering horseriding accident left Kayla Ballini jobless, with no confidence and living in excruciating pain. When she came across Zara the pony online a few years later, they were both looking for a second chance.
"I saw her advertised as a horse that had been passed around a little bit, and I was warned that she'd put a young girl in hospital," she said.Zara the horse wasn't alone in being given a second chance; Ms Ballini herself was also looking for one.
While riding down a rural road in the southern Queensland town of Glencoe, north-west of Toowoomba, her mare was spooked by an approaching vehicle. Fuelled by adrenaline, Ms Ballini was able to get herself up and ride home, before heading to the emergency department."I was having bouts of severe back pain that was completely debilitating, and I could barely walk," Ms Ballini said."The pain was just excruciating; it would make me vomit."
By the time Zara came into her life, most of her physical injuries had healed, but mentally she was afraid, still reliving the trauma of her accident."I didn't realise how scared I was to get on horses that were a little bit more difficult or that did have a little bit of a buck," Ms Ballini said. Barrel racing is a rodeo event in which a horse and rider race around a series of barrels in the fastest time possible.But now, in their first full season of barrel racing, she and Zara are completing 18-second runs, fast enough to qualify to compete at the international level.Ms Ballini says Zara and barrel racing have helped her to regain confidence.
Healing Competition Athlete Horseriding Accident Horseriding Injury Barrel Racer Barrel Racing Horses Horseriding
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