Many hurdles have been thrown at Elle, yet miraculously she encounters them head on and she achieves magnificent goals.

Disability, cancer, loss of a parent and difficulties with her weight have made Elle a stronger character and one which I really admire. Elle was born with a lack of oxygen to the brain which now means that she has two dislocated kneecaps, a cracked pelvis, a curve in her spine (scoliosis) and a longer right leg. Additionally, Elle lives in supported housing to help and assist her.

Elle began horse riding at the age of eight in 1984. From a young age she was fascinated by horses and knew that she always wanted to be around them. Elle enjoyed doing competitions and this has really helped her to develop her confidence. She completed a horse Mastership in the New Forest and then worked for a while in Lincolnshire at a stables before volunteering at Barnfield Riding School.

Unfortunately, Elle began to become overweight which meant that she was over the maximum weight allowance to ride a horse.. Elle then embarked on a journey to lose weight through the gym, swimming and cycling. Whilst Elle was trying to lose weight, another setback was coming her way.

In December 2016, Elle was diagnosed with breast cancer after finding a lump. She then began her gruelling treatment which, she took a while to adapt to. This meant that she had to stop her volunteering for a period of time. As time went on, she was able to progress with her life and whilst having treatment still came to the stables as she sought comfort in the kindness of the horses at Barnfield.

After beating cancer and ending her treatment in July 2017, she then took on an even greater challenge. Elle participated in the Euro Velo 6 cycle route which stretches from the Atlantic to the Black Sea. She cycled 3,653 km and went through ten countries during this incredible venture. Elle plans to do this again yet this time, in memory of her dad who sadly passed recently.

Elle is getting back into horse riding again and did her first lesson in October 2018. She is getting used to riding with the pain in her back and still manages to power through. She attends regularly to help clean the horses stables and groom them on top of her daily life. Her biggest struggle is making sure that she doesn't fall off or have another accident as a result of her disabilities including having two different leg sizes and at the same time increasing her confidence.

Having gone through so much, Elle has achieved a great deal and she is a real inspiration. She has never given up and wants to live her life to the fullest, grabbing every opportunity possible. Barnfield Riding School have given Elle the platform to develop and to know that anyone can do anything that they set their mind to which is why she highly recommends it. (For the purpose of this article a made-up name has been used)