Ricky Balshaw Looks Ahead to London 2012

When Ricky Balshaw was first introduced to horse riding he could never have imagined that one day he would be competing in Beijing as part of Team GB. Initially introduced to horses as a form of therapy it soon became apparent he was a natural with plenty of potential.

Born with cerebral palsy Balshaw’s physiotherapist recommended he rode horses to help build up the strength in his legs. “When I first started I had two people holding me up on either side, but it got easier as time went on,” explains the 23-year-old Paralympian.

Balshaw’s talent was spotted early and his consistent performances saw him rewarded with a place in the British Paralympics team at just 14. However, he would have to wait two more years before he could compete on the international circuit.

“It was just a hobby to start with. I had no idea that I would one day be representing my country. I was the youngest person ever to be put on the senior team and I really didn’t understand the scale of what I had done.

“I just assumed it was another stepping stone rather than realising I had actually made it. In some ways I guess it helped that I was so young as it meant I never really suffered from nerves and simply just went out and enjoyed the occasion.”

Having been named as a reserve for the Athens Games, Balshaw finally got to show the world his talent when he was selected for the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing. Luckily he had a relative he could turn to for advice.

‘Uncle Rich,’ as Balshaw describes him, is none other than Richie Woodhall, the former super middleweight boxer who won bronze at the Seoul Olympics in 1988.

“Rich gave me loads of advice about making the most of the experience and taking everything in. We also had loads of banter before I left as he has the Olympic rings tattoo and was telling me that I better come back with a medal so that I could get mine done.

“Then on the day I won silver I had a phone call from him at 3 in the morning. He was telling me that everyone had been giving him loads of stick because I had gone one better and managed to get a silver.”

Balshaw returned to plenty of adulation from friends, family and the public who all watched intently as he proudly stood on the podium to receive his medal. He also followed in his Uncle’s footsteps by getting the Olympic rings tattoo. Something that he explains “simply had to be done.”

After all that success came a period of severe bad luck. Riding for the first time since the Paralympics, Balshaw was thrown from his horse braking two ribs and bruising his kidney. Walking became agony and training was impossible. Unfortunately this was not the last of his problems.

Upon returning from injury the Grade lb rider decided to get back on the horse that had caused his accident. Once again he was thrown from his horse, but this time it was his head that took the full force of the impact. Balshaw awoke in hospital to find he had a fractured skull and swelling on the brain.

Thankfully he slowly began to recover and once again faced the prospect of getting straight back on the horse. “I would love to man up and say it was fine getting back on, but I have to be honest, I was bricking it,” Balshaw admits.

“I made sure I got back on a safer horse just until I was feeling confident again. Since then I have been to a couple of competitions but I am slightly behind in my preparations for Kentucky because of all the injuries.”

The World Equestrian Games in Kentucky is Balshaw’s next stop and he is hopeful that he can once again finish in the top three. It won’t be easy, but the Paralympian has never been one to let adversity get in his way.��

With a trip to America fast approaching Balshaw also reveals that it is the perfect preparation for the event that is dominating so many athletes thoughts.�

“The Paralympics in London will definitely be the pinnacle and I can’t wait to hear 10,000 British fans cheering us on. Each year I have been involved in disabled sports, I have seen it grow and I think it’s fantastic that Channel 4 is doing so much to help promote the athletes and the Games itself.”

The fact that it is the first time in history that a Paralympics has been bid for separately from the Olympics makes it a huge occasion for all involved. Hopefully if Balshaw can steer clear of injury then he could be celebrating another medal and ‘Uncle Richie’ can receive even more stick.