Sometimes life throws things our way that we could never have planned for and puts us on a new path where we are forced to adapt and dig deep for courage.
In the late ’80s, Pippa (Philippa) Blake had plans to trek to Mount Everest Base Camp with her sons when her plans were thwarted by a Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis. Despite becoming quickly wheelchair-bound, Blake ended up going on the journey anyway, nearly two decades later.
In 2007, a team of friends, family, sherpas and porters, along with a device called the trailrider, worked with Blake to successfully get up the 65 km climb. The highs and lows of the difficult journey are documented in the short film Rise Above Barriers Everest Base Camp. At one tense point, the thin air started to drain the energy from Blake and the crew. However, the group persevered and accomplished the incredible feat.
“It’s extraordinary what you can do if you really believe you can do it,” Blake said in the video. “I hope that this makes people realize that you can do more than dream but you have to believe in yourself and dig deep.”
Almost twenty years later now, Blake, 73, has found a new love for an activity that fits her active and adventurous spirit; horse riding at Victoria Therapeutic Riding Association (VTRA).
“It’s a bit frightening but you feel great sitting up on the horse. You feel quite in charge, quite grand … it’s a great feeling,” she said. “Here you have endless, amazing people around who are so supportive, and the horses are without a doubt so kind and so gentle. I get quite swept away by it and the horses all have their own personalities.”
“I was nervous but I fell in love with Danny, the beautiful horse I rode and we sort of bonded,” she said.
Blake has always led a very active life. Before her MS diagnosis, it was full of skiing, tennis, hiking and more. After her diagnosis, she said she felt sad and got “fed up with just sitting around” so she began to seek active and adventurous activities that could accommodate disabilities.
When Blake, British-born, first moved to the Island in 2001, she discovered the VTRA in Saanichton. At the time, riding wasn’t high on her list of things to try. Before that, she had worked on an Albertan cattle ranch when she first moved to Canada in 1970 and hadn’t ridden again until she discovered VTRA. Her love for horses was what eventually led her to decide to enrol.
“Plus, my name – Philippa – actually means lover of horses. So I thought, ‘I’m supposed to go riding!’” she said.
VTRA is a non-profit charitable organization which provides therapeutic riding experiences to children and adults with diverse abilities. The organization is made up of a volunteer board, a small team of six staff, professional instructors and more than 275 volunteers. Its central focus is recognizing the therapeutic benefits that horses bring and the health benefits.
“I can’t say enough about this whole organization. It’s just extraordinary. All the people are involved are just so committed. The volunteers give up huge chunks of their day for us, we’re very lucky,” Blake said.
“I always go home with a huge grin on my face.”
Some of the other benefits that Blake sees from riding are that she gets to use muscles she normally wouldn’t when sitting in a wheelchair, and she also gets to meet other people with disabilities, like Sarah Hansen who uses a walker.
“She is so positive,” Hansen said, referring to Blake. “And that’s what’s so good is you come here and we see other people that have similar challenges and they’re so positive.”
Pat Coverdale, who has been volunteering with the company for close to 25 years, noted the skills that Blake, Hansen and the other women in the group have developed in riding over the years.
“You should see these four ladies. It’s amazing how well they ride,” she said.
Blake does a horse show every June, which involves a dressage pattern – a predetermined sequence of movements, displaying the horse’s obedience, athleticism, and agility.
“I get frightfully into it. They give you the pattern and I go and practice in my wheelchair in the parking lot behind the school where I live,” Blake said.
Dealing with a disability is incredibly different for everybody, as Blake states, with different levels of mobility and challenges, but she knows what has worked best for her.
“I know I feel better if I attempt something because I do disabled sailing as well and sit skiing. You’re always nervous when you start and then after you’re so glad you did it.”
