Why Pilates? My Story

Why Pilates … my story! 

To get to where I am now has been quite a challenge but only those close to me know just how long and hard that journey has been ... 24 yrs ago (May 2000) my life was turned upside down when a fall from my horse left me with life threatening injuries. I was walking, on a long rein when the horse I was riding slipped. My femur was in 5 pieces, a jigsaw the surgeon at the local hospital did an amazing job putting back together. I couldn’t walk, my leg wasn’t healing meaning 6 months later, they almost amputated my leg. I was 34 years old. What was I going to do? I battled & battled, I know what’s it’s like to sit in a wheel chair for months, I know how hard sticks are on your hands. I also know what it’s like to take pain killers just to be able to ride for 40 minutes. No one saw the real cost. I would hide away for a day or sometimes days, unable to face anyone or allow anyone to see that the walking sticks were back, barely able to boil a kettle. I felt my life had been taken away. I would sit and teach others or sit in the car at ‘C’ judging, putting on a brave face, but no one knows how exhausting the ‘brave face’ is unless they have been there. 

While visiting an equestrian venue, I was recommended to try Pilates. I’d not heard about this form of exercise so off I went with new hope. Yes, you guessed right! Over the next few years, the process fixed me both physically & mentally. I can now walk & ride. I found a new passion that wouldn’t just help me, but would allow me to help others too. Meeting Lindsay Wilcox-Reid, owner of Equipilates™, was the turning point. I studied how using the Pilates principles could improve our language for riders. Through her, I met Rachel Rafiefar, a world renowned Pilates teacher. She steered me through my first qualification, to allow me to teach mat Pilates. This is when the world opened and my body started to heal. I added the Reformer which allowed me to work in my studio from home. Lindsay then added Biomechanics training, specific for riders. I loved this side, continuing on to add the Advanced Equipilates™ Biomechanics Trainer to allow me to link Pilates principles to riders. 

If you didn’t know what happened you now wouldn’t know. My leg is better, in fact I have more movement now than I did before the accident. I’m still learning, but you never stop.

What has Pilates done for me? 

Pilates gave me the confidence to start to move again. Pilates took away my pain, also teaching me how important it was to change how I talked about my body. How was my body to heal if I keep talking about it being broken? I was 50 years old, past it as I thought. How wrong was I! I was persuaded to train as a teacher, thank you Lindsay! What a challenge you took on there Rachel! I was hooked, the reformer work followed the mat and I’ve just finished a personal trainer qualification with equestrian speciality, thank you Dave!

I can help you, the rider, keep riding … pain free!

Enough about me! What have you done that temporarily stopped you doing what you love? I’d love to hear your stories and achievements. 

After all, how true is this familiar quote …

"Nothing is impossible. The word itself says: 'I'm possible!'" —Audrey Hepburn