One of the things that’s kept Claire Lomas busy has been the second edition of her extremely popular RIders Revealed Calendar. The first calendar was a roaring success, raising twenty-five thousand GB pounds. The idea was conceived by Rachel Robinson, who was parked next to Claire in the lorry park at Osberton when she had her accident. They became fast friends, and in a brainwave she suggested the idea to Claire at Burghley the following year when she learnt Claire was trying to raise money for treatment.
“I thought it was a wicked idea! I immediately began thinking of who I’d like to see with their kit off! It kept me busy for a few weeks anyway!”
Back then the money raised was used to send Claire to San Diego for intense rehab, as there was nowhere comparable in the UK. This year, Claire has arranged another calendar, “I thought I’d better get in touch with these riders, and start pestering them again!” and has exciting plans for the proceeds. Claire is trying to raise enough money to pay for a ground breaking robotic suit, or exoskeleton. In fact, she’ll be the first person in the UK to receive one.
“I got an email from them last week which said it should be here quite soon, it’s all moving in the right direction, which means my marathon aims are looking quite hopeful.”
Cough, cough, splutter splutter! Come again? I thought I had misheard Claire the first time , but did she really just say Marathon?!
“I really want to do the London Marathon so I’m hopeful that I’ll get the robot suit in time. I’ve got a place in next year’s race, (April 22nd), I’ve got my running vest and everything! I’m ready to go except I just can’t walk! I’ll be doing the marathon in aid of Spinal Research, that’s what the robot is all about. If the calendar raises any more money than I need then it will all roll over directly to the Spinal Research Fund. I’m hoping that all the publicity that will go along with being the first person to get one of these suits will help raise a lot of money.”
Of course, it goes beyond the race too,
“I can’t wait. Some people have realised the magnitude of what the suit will mean to me, but unless you put yourself in this situation it’s hard to imagine just how good the suit is. Just being able to stand, at something like a wedding. I went to a wedding this year and at the drinks reception everyone was standing, and I felt like a complete outsider. So just being able to stand when everyone else is, will be a massive thing for me, as well as all the health benefits of standing.”
Having been a chiropractor and an eventer before her accident, Claire struggled for a little while to find something she could do, and to motivate her again. A part-time job at a local ski-company turned out to be the perfect solution, as the added bonus was free ski-ing holidays,
“I started about 18 months after my accident, and it was the first thing I found that I really loved since Eventing. Having said that, I didn’t love it straight away, I kept falling and falling at first, I had some crashing falls, and it was awful! Once I learnt though, it’s been so much fun; I have one normal ski with a bucket seat on it, then two outriggers. In some ways it’s harder than ski-ing because you’re balancing on one ski, and it takes quite a long time to learn, probably a bit more like boarding. It’s brilliant fun, and I don’t feel at any disadvantage. I have ridden a horse since my accident but I didn’t really enjoy it, it just felt so slow and boring after Eventing. It was hard for me to get excited about doing a walk/trot dressage test, and to me it just wasn’t worth the risk of injuring myself again if I wasn’t enjoying it that much. The ski-ing is great though – I can go really fast and it’s much more similar to Eventing for me! Of course there is risk involved, but if you’re enjoying it you don’t really mind so much, the Para-Skiers Team go like the clappers, they get up to speeds of about 80 mph!”
Claire on the slopes
Rachel was selected on to the British Development Paralympic Ski Squad, but has never raced. She lets slip that at the first and only training session she attended she was 12 weeks pregnant, “but I thought I’d go and see what it’s all about!”, and now her priorities have changed,
“I’m not that bothered about doing it now in a serious way. When I went to the training session it reminded me so much of eventing, and I’ve moved away from that now. I can’t have more fun than I’m having, ski-ing with my friends and being a wife and mother. I want to improve my technique a bit maybe and have a few lessons, but the commitment it would take is too much. I know that if you do a sport to that level you have to be selfish, it’s all about you and your training, in all weather and conditions, and being away from your family for long periods of time. The professionals have to train regardless of whether it’s icy, freezing, sleeting, whatever – whereas I can go and have a hot chocolate and enjoy it! It’s so much more fun being here with Maisy and Dan than I could ever get out of ski-ing at that level, I don’t feel like I need to do it.
However, ski-ing will hopefully be something that she’ll enjoy for the rest of her life, either with friends or family,
“I went ski-ing the year before last with 8 friends for my hen do; I love it because I can do it with all my usual friends, I can ski as well as anyone else really now that I’ve learnt, I can go on the chairlifts and everything, it’s all fine. It’s that feeling of being free, you get to the top of the mountain then whoosh off, it’s the most amazing thing. I’m really quite independent once I’m out there, it’s great. I’ve been with my husband too who’d never skied before, but he took to it really well – he’s pretty sporty and he looks good. He’s better than me; I fall a lot more, but when I go, I go pretty fast! I’m trying to learn control – after all, I don’t want to collide with another tree!”
Claire has started her own jewellery line, and as well as selling it through her website she’s just received her first two orders from shops. She tells me that her life now is quite similar to the life she used to live, in that she gets up early and doesn’t stop all day, and I believe her.
We have five copies of her calendar to give away; all you have to do is send in a caption via the comments section for the picture of the show-jumpers below, and Claire has kindly agreed to judge the five winners. The closing date will be midnight (US Eastern Time) on Monday 17th October. If you’re not one of the lucky ones, please consider ordering a couple, one for a friend and one for yourself. They make terrific Christmas/Birthday/Thank-you/Whatever Presents, you’re supporting a great cause, and you get to ogle your favourite riders with very little protecting their modesty – what more could you possibly want?! Including shipping to the US, a calendar will still only set you back about $20 – complete bargain.
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Photo by Nico Morgan
“When I had my accident I tried to stay positive, I had a lot of help, and people have just kept me going, but of course I had down days. You can’t have an injury like this and not feel like crap at times. Now, though, I rarely have those down days anymore, I don’t really, I haven’t got time to feel miserable! Obviously I’d rather not be like this, but I am happy with life. At least I don’t have to worry about knocking all the bloody show-jumps down anymore! My life’s very different now, but it’s certainly not any worse.”
Thank you to Claire for chatting to me for so long, I feel lucky enough to have made a new friend. In fact, I’m hoping to persuade her to do a US version of the calendar, and will happily volunteer to help with “the lighting”, or other odd jobs! I’m mentally making my list of riders already…! Thank you for reading, please order a calendar, and go eventing!
