Karen Law was born with bilateral colloboma which means that her eyes never developed properly.  At the age of three she had an accident which caused a retinal detachment leaving her without vision in her right eye.  Having no peripheral vision, only central vision extending a few feet in front of her, Karen is only able to see colours and shapes with her left eye.  This resulted in her being registered blind in 1975.  

 

Incredibly Karen is a very talented, committed and courageous horse rider and she is jumping big fences at national and international level. She relies on ‘shouting instructions’ to help her guide her horse around each course of jumps.  Karen won her class at France’s biggest equestrian tournament at La Baule two years ago and achieved her lifelong ambition to compete a stage 3 cross country course.

 

She relies on ‘shouting instructions’ or a lead horse to help her guide her horse around each course of jumps. Two years ago renowned trainer Adrian Marsh agreed to give Karen show jumping lessons but Karen was without a horse of her own to ride and compete on which is when Dame Emma Jane Brown - an ambassador for the Riding for the Disabled (RDA) stepped in.

 

A former successful international show jumper herself, knighted for her charity work, and formerly known as The Bond Girl for her looks and her courage, Emma has mounted an ambitious campaign to buy Karen a horse which has included skydiving from a plane and racing back to Earth at nearly 300 miles per hour in a bid to raise funds for Karen - Britain’s first blind show jumper so that she could fulfil her career ambitions.

 

That horse - Pearl - a delightful grey mare was presented to a surprised Karen in the arena of the Royal Windsor Horse Show last summer in front of a tearful audience.  Since then Karen's riding has gone from strength, but the challenges remain.

 

Karen is only able to ride twice a week because of the time it takes for her to get from her home in Stockport to her trainer's yard.  It's a six hour round trip that involves a bus, train and taxi - imagine doing that as a blind person!  Emma is hoping to find volunteers from the Stockport area who might drive Karen to the yard or find a benevolent taxi service that could help.

 

In addition, the costs of keeping Pearl - her feed, bedding, livery, vets, farrier and horse transport costs aren't cheap and money is quickly needed to help this inspirational woman take part in the competitions that exist for disabled riders at home and overseas.  Karen also wants to do some good and if offering to take Pearl to shows around the country to give confidence-giving talks and riding demonstrations to show the public at large that anything is possible, even with a terrible disability.

 

Above all else, Karen wants to be ready to represent Great Britain  when and if show jumping is included as an equestrian discipline in the Paralympics.

  

 

 

 

 

About Karen Law

Karen did not ride between the age of fifteen and forty two, but since returning to riding has been show jumping in La Baule guided round initially by Leading British Show Jumper and Olympian, Peter Charles and later by fellow Para Rider Deena Webster.  Karen was then absolutely thrilled when Adrian Marsh agreed to give her show jumping lessons 2 years ago.

 

Karen is also a member of British Showjumping and Mid Cheshire RDA.  In 2011 and 2012 Karen secured placing at La Baule, France’s 5* International Show. In 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 Karen jumped at Scope British Show Jumping Festival and from 2011 – 2013 at the RDA National Championships at Hartbury College guide round by fellow Para Rider Deena Webster.

 

In 2013 Karen jumped at the Para Club Championship at Bishop Burton. In September 2013 Karen achieved a lifelong ambition to complete a stage 3 cross-country course with the help of trainer Gerry Sinott