An Equestrian Life – and After

Article by Peter Satterly. Photos by Maureen McPhee. September, 2018.

The September meeting of the Rideau Township Historical Society was held at the Community Hall at Burritt’s Rapids. The speaker was Claire Smith, a former equestrian injured during a jump race in England. She spoke about her passion for horses and the aftermath of her accident.

Claire grew up in the Burritt’s Rapids area, on the south shore of the Rideau River. She had a real passion for horses, even at a very young age. At 7 years old, she had her first pony, Cricket. At a very early age, she was already doing cross country horse riding and entering events at local fairs.

She progressed into local competitions, including Bromont, QC., to the United States, eg. Kentucky, and ultimately going on to the competitions in England. She went on to explain to us about how horse racing/jumping contests are run. She told us that the rider gets to walk the course and see where the jumps are, etc. as often as he/ she wants, but that the horse does not see the course until it is actually beginning the competition.

On the fateful day, September 15, 1997, she was the only Canadian competitor in a horse jumping contest in Nottingham, England. She had walked the course and knew it. As she started in this competition, she and her horse were navigating the course when they came to one jump and the horse hesitated. She was catapulted over the horse and over the jump, landing on her head. She sustained multiple injuries which left her with a severe head injury, including major damage to her brain. She was taken to the hospital at Nottingham.

She was diagnosed with post traumatic amnesia as she remembered nothing about the accident. By the end of October, she was back in Canada and in the Ottawa Hospital where she continued to recover physically.

By mid- January, she was beginning to get her memory back. She then proceeded to St. Vincent’s Hospital, which was the only hospital dealing with head/brain rehabilitation. She was there from mid January to the end of March.

When she was discharged, she went to North Carolina with her horse, Phoenix. She went, hoping to be jumping again, but found that she could not, even after 2 years. She told us that she wrote her book as a way of evaluating her enormous loss. Who was she? She had multiple identities. She wanted to evaluate her struggles with identity, to identify with others who had had incredible injuries.

Like many people with physical handicaps she was still a great goal- oriented person. In just 2 years after injury, she entered a Masters program at Carleton University and her Masters thesis was Creative Rehabilitation and Self Esteem, which she finished in the spring of 2004. In the fall, she entered her PhD program. Her thesis: Journeys of Identity Construction after Traumatic Brain Injury: Athletes Perform their Stories of Healing.

Speaking about her book, she told us that she wrote the book to evaluate her enormous loss. Who was she? She had multiple identities. Her whole life had been focussed on horse riding/jumping and now, with these serious injuries, she was left to carve out a new identity. Her message to the meeting was:

• Choose the life you will live so it gives you opportunity to choose life you will lead;
• No-one can decide that you will be happy except you.

She discovered that she didn’t need horses to have an identity.