30 September 2024
| THE HEARTBEAT OF WOMEN'S SPORT
Home   >   Features   >   Interviews   >   Sportsister meets Natasha Baker

Sportsister meets Natasha Baker

November 25, 2024
natashaedit

Today, Paralympic GB are hosting Sports Fest. Sports Fest offers the opportunity for disabled people to try out Paralympic sports; meet the medalists and find out everything they need to know about Paralympic sport, all under one roof at the University of Worcester.

Sportsister caught up with Sports Fest ambassador, London 2012 double gold medalist para-dressage rider, Natasha Baker.

You’re an ambassador for Paralympic GB’s Sports Fest, what’s it all about?

Paralympic Sports Fest is a chance for disabled people to come along to one place and have most of the Paralympic summer and winter sports all under one roof. There will be people from the federations of each sport there, so that people can chat and find out how they can get involved and have a go at the Paralympic sport to see if they like it.

What does your role as an ambassador involve?

I will be there on Monday 25 November and there are opportunities for people to meet the Paralympians, get signings and ask any questions they have about what London was like or what other competitions were like. It’s a great opportunity for them to find out anything they want to know. I will be there with a horse simulator there which is the shape of a horse, it has reins and a saddle and you control it exactly how you would a real horse-it gives people a taster of what riding is like-it is scarily realistic!

What are the aims of Sports Fest?

It’s all about opening disabled people’s eyes to what they can do and what opportunities are open to them. London 2012 was a big eye opener for a lot of disabled people out there. Since London I get emails on a regular basis from parents of children who would like to get into Paralympic sport and don’t know what to do, and messages from people who have been injured and now want to get into Paralympic sport as a result of their new found disability.

Sports Fest is a great opportunity for them to come along and it is all about inspiring the next generation. Unfortunately we’re not going to go on forever and we do need new young talented athletes coming through and we’ll be there to help them along the way!

How did you get involved in Para-Dressage?

My mum was horsey and I grew up around horses but I never knew paralympic dressage existed. I used to go to riding schools that weren’t suitable for disabled riders and I had a few problems finding horses that were suitable and finding instructors that knew enough about my disability. It was actually through my physiotherapist who put me onto my local riding for the disabled association so I used to go along there for regular lessons.

It was actually the Sydney Paralympics which was the major breaking point in my life. I watched the games and saw the parlympic dressage. I always knew I wanted to do something in equestrian world but I didn’t really know what and I didn’t really know if there was anything I could do because of my disability.

But then with Sydney I saw there were people out there with similar disabilities to mine or even worse disabilities than mine who were getting on with it and looking amazing on these beautiful horses. I said to my parents ‘well if they can do it then I can do it’ and I wanted to win a paralympic gold medal at the age of ten!

Are you hopeful Sports Fest will offer others that kind of inspiration?

Definitely. When I got started there was nothing around like Paralympic Sports Fest for me to find out how I would make the move into Paralympic dressage. I was very lucky in the fact I got talent spotted whilst I was at the RDA and got put onto the world class program, so basically going along to Sports Fest is cutting that process out and enabling people to speak to the right people in the right place.

How did you adapt to your disability?

I’m a very determined person and my mum and dad have brought me up with the attitude that I can do anything I want to. It may not be in the conventional way, it may be in the ‘Natasha way’, but I always knew I could do anything I wanted. I always think that there’s somebody out there worse off than me. I’m very determined and when I said I was going to win that Paralympic gold medal I meant it. In all honesty I never expected it to happen quite so quickly, but it was because of the RDA and meeting the right people that I got there so quickly.

What does sport and para-dressage bring to your life?

Sport is everything to me. I’m one of those very lucky people who just loves what they do. I get to work everyday with my best friends and that’s my horses. Everyday is different and I just think I’m the luckiest girl in the world to be given such a fantastic opportunity to represent my country and have fun at the same time. Riding offers me a freedom I would otherwise experience. When I started I could barely walk, so for me being on a horse; having that freedom and being able to move at that speed was fantastic.

How important is the bond with your horses?

It is crucial. I’ve had JP (my top horse) for five years and he’s amazing. It took us about a year to really bond with each other and to get to know each other inside out. He’s quite a sensitive horse and I had to get used to his little quirks and he had to get used to my style of riding. He knows exactly when I step foot on the yard, I know him inside out, upside down and back to front. I know what he’s going to do before he does and vice versa! The main reason I think that we’ve done so well together is that we have such a strong bond.

What are your aims for the future?

We’ve got the world games next year which will be my first world games which is really exciting, so hopefully I’ll get selected for that and then in 2015 it’s the Europeans and then obviously the big one in Rio. Beyond that I’ve got a young horse called Suki who I’ve just started working with and she’s amazing-she’s so super talented. So I’m aiming JP and Suki at the 2015 Europeans and Rio and see which one comes out on top.

I’m 1000% going to carry on after Rio and hopefully go to Tokyo as well.

What would be your advice to those looking to get involved in Paralympic sport?

My advice would be just give it a try! I believe everything happens for a reason, I have always seen my disability as a gift, I wouldn’t be where I am right now if it wasn’t for contracting the virus at 14 months old. I was so lucky that I found my sport and that’s why Sports Fest is there, as my mum told me,‘you can do anything you want to do’ and I think giving people the opportunity to try out sports is crucial. Hopefully people can find something they love and that can change their life.

Natasha Baker is an ambassador for ParalympicsGB SportsFest, where people with disabilities can try a number of sports at the University of Worcester on 24-25 November. Sign up at www.sportsfest.uk.com

Beth Shine, Sportsister
The Women’s Sports Magazine

 

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Select a sport

Find out how to get started, training plans and expert advice.