FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
SIDELINES JANUARY 2014 23
Leah enjoying time on the back of a horse with her current
mount, Sparky.
So as soon as she was feeling well enough, Leah got back in
the saddle – although this time without one of her legs. Before she
had completed her training with her prosthetic leg, Leah needed
to get back on a horse. Like most equestrians, she just couldn’t
wait any longer.
“I felt really unbalanced and nervous at first, but after a few
minutes I got used to it and remembered everything again,” she
said. Everything was finally falling back into place.
Once Leah had completed her training with her prosthetic,
she began riding even more. But, Leah soon discovered another
challenge – her prosthetic leg lacked a flexible ankle and wouldn’t
stay in place.
“Every time I trotted, I couldn’t do the rising trot, I could only
do the sitting one,” she explained. “When I would trot, the stirrup
would slide back to the heel of the prosthetic leg and it would start
to pinch the top of my leg so I would have to stop constantly and
get someone to fix it for me.”
But with a little ingenuity, Leah and her instructor came up with
a solution: a do-it-yourself Velcro stirrup that could hold her boot
in place.
Now, with her personally engineered stirrup, Leah is back to
enjoying riding just as she was before. She can walk, trot, canter
and even jump. Really, she feels like she could fly. And who’s to
say she can’t? Through determination, hope and a remarkable
attitude, Leah has proven to the world that anything is possible –
including beating cancer.
Author’s note: To talk to Leah is like talking to superwoman.
Faced with one of life’s most difficult challenges, after hearing her
speak you would think she merely sprained her ankle. Leah has
endured a long, hard battle with cancer and proven to everyone
around her she has the strength to overcome anything. My
thoughts go out to Leah and her family, as does a thank you for
sharing their story with us. Keep on fighting, Leah!
About the writer: Dani Moritz is a graduate of WilliamWoods University with majors
in Equine General Studies and Communications and is currently pursuing a Masters
In Strategic Leadership at Stephens College. She is assistant editor and distribution
manager for Sidelines Magazine and the proud owner of a beautiful Paint/Arabian
mare named September. She is also the 2012 American Horse Publications Student
Award winner.
