Read the poignant testimony of Alexis Halbert.

My name is Alexis Halbert, and I’m 17. I used to be a junior rider doing the 1.15m and the High Children’s Jumpers. I’m currently a Crossrail rider.

I rode a horse for the first time when I was four and fell in love with it, so I just continued riding. I got a pony and then when the opportunity came up for me and my mom to share a horse we were like ‘alright this is perfect’.

Then Pablo Barrios offered me a spot where he would train me, so we ended up keeping the horses in Wellington, and I was commuting five to six days a week, a five-hour round trip daily.

I did online school at this point. I was doing the Low Children’s Jumpers and then I bought my mare Carissima. Her and I blended so well, we were honestly a power duo, and we would’ve had such a bright future ahead of us if the accident hadn’t happened.

She went to put her foot down when she realized we had taken off too far, got it caught in the jump, and then we flipped over

July 18, 2020 – I had been on a mission to find sticky spray and could not find sticky spray anywhere. My stomach hurt, my boots broke, I was like ‘this day is off to a terrible start’ and I really wanted to scratch my class; but I was like you know what ‘I won the week before and had an incredible round’ so I said I’ll be fine.

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I did my beautiful first round, went clear, and started my jump-off. The last jump she took off from probably a stride and a half away, absolutely going so fast. She went to put her foot down when she realized we had taken off too far, got it caught in the jump, and then we flipped over.

I had one doctor tell me that I was going to have to learn how to live in a wheelchair for the rest of my life

I landed on my stomach and bent myself in half. I hit the ground so hard that I bounced up and then landed. She landed on her neck and broke her c6/c7 vertebrae. She died instantly, and she hit the ground so hard she bounced up and then landed partially on top of me.

At this point I was unconscious somewhere between 3-8 minutes or five to eight minutes or something like that. I remember waking up on the ground and I was screaming that my back was broken, and I couldn’t feel my legs. Then I was flown to Greenville, South Carolina where I was diagnosed with a spinal cord injury.

I still have some difficulties walking and I can’t run or jump anymore

I had broken my t6/t7 vertebrae right in the middle of my back and I was rushed into surgery; so, I now have two rods and eight screws. I had one doctor tell me that I was going to have to learn how to live in a wheelchair for the rest of my life pretty much, but my surgeon came in and told me ‘You know what, we don’t know what the future is going to be, but you can’t lose hope, I tried my hardest and we’ll have to see’.

Helite Equestrian Airbag Vest

Two weeks after my accident is when I really started moving again, and I started walking almost a month after my accident date. Then I got back in the ring, and I have an Instagram caption that says, “didn’t leave the ring in a helicopter this time”. I really wanted to leave the ring on my own terms rather than getting dragged out of the ring on a golf cart.

I had to go through a tragedy for it but I’m glad that people are protecting themselves and really realizing that anything can happen at any moment because a rotational fall to that degree in the Childrens Jumpers is something that you never really see and I’m just really glad that people are protecting themselves now

I still have some difficulties walking and I can’t run or jump anymore, but I will take what I can get. I’ve gotten back on the horses’ multiple times and started showing again. Nothing compared to what I used to do, I’m a Crossrail rider now but I’ll take it.

I’m very excited to be partnered with Helite airvest before I got hurt were honestly something that people looked down upon; you were always the weird kid out if you had a vest on; like why you are wearing a vest, you look stupid. But honestly now I feel like a lot of the kids that don’t wear a vest are the odd ones out.

Why would you not want to protect yourself? I had to go through a tragedy for it but I’m glad that people are protecting themselves and really realizing that anything can happen at any moment because a rotational fall to that degree in the Childrens Jumpers is something that you never really see and I’m just really glad that people are protecting themselves now.