woman from snowy river
Life as a GlobetrotterWe’ve been living without television for over three years now, however occasionally on rainy, wind-swept nights we tune into our favourite programs online. Last night I was brought to tears and left in absolute awe with the account of Leigh Woodgate’s life journey produced by Australian Story via ABC iview (watch it here).
Without giving too much away, this remarkable horsewoman won the notorious Cattleman’s Cup bush race in her mid-twenties and went on to carve out a name for herself in the dangerous horse sport of steeplechasing. On her fourth race she had a horrific horse accident rendering her unconscious for 17 days and was told she would never be able to walk or talk again.
It’s at this point lying immobile in a hospital bed where most people would have given up. Not Leigh, over the next two decades with unwavering courage and sheer grit she re-trained and re-educated her body. She would set her alarm at 2am and again at 4am to stretch for half an hour and would be the first person at the gym every morning as part of her structured rehabilitation program. Her end goal was to get herself back into the saddle. Leigh now rides track work and has recently started jumping again.
Leigh Woodgate is a role model and a true star in my eyes.