Horse rider who broke her back plots comeback race

Harriet Hemmings has already shown off the jockey silks she will wear on race-day

A woman who feared she might never walk again after breaking her back is taking up the reins for a charity horse race.

Harriet Hemmings, 31, underwent months of rehabilitation after a car crash in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, in September 2019.

The rural surveyor has been selected as one of 12 jockeys to take part in the annual Markel Magnolia Cup at Goodwood on 1 August.

Ms Hemmings, an experienced rider, said the level of fitness needed for her horse race had been "life-changing".

She had been just five minutes from home when the accident took place on Arterial Road.

Another car had lost control in the wet weather and collided with her Ford Fiesta, sending it spinning into a tree.

Harriet Hemmings said it felt like her body was "melting" after the crash

"The force of the impact with the tree sent my car into the middle of the road and the next thing I remember is extreme pain," said Ms Hemmings, who now lives in Chelmsford.

"Somehow I was able to crawl out until help arrived. The other driver fled the scene and has never been caught."

Ms Hemmings was unable to work for four months and upon her return to Savills could only manage to sit up for one or two hours a day.

'Life-changing'

Using crutches and with the help of a back brace and intensive physiotherapy, she taught herself to walk again.

"It felt like my body was melting as I lost all muscle," she said.

"My family had to help with washing and dressing. I had numbness in my thigh and terrible leg spasms where the nerves were damaged."

The horse rider said there was "no stopping an equestrian doing what they love" as she plotted her comeback to the sport.

She will be riding for My Sisters' House, which supports women in crisis, at the charity race.

"The level of fitness required has been life-changing," Ms Hemmings added.

"My body was still weak, years after the accident, but I'm now able to better hold myself up having built muscles in my core, back and legs."