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Made & Owned

Hi, my name is Katy Driver, I grew up in the Redlands, not in a horse owning family but friends of my parents owned Koorootang Shetland Pony Stud. My older brother used to go there sometimes, and from a young age, I went with him. I then became the main one going there as my brother got interested in cars and bikes instead. They taught me all the basics and started letting me go to shows with them, teaching me how to prep and show horses. I learnt to handle, ride and drive in harness with the Shetlands. 

I started working at Redlands Vet Clinic when I was 14 as a kennel/stable hand and eventually studied, qualified and worked as a vet nurse at several different vet clinics with both small and large animals. I studied, qualified and worked as a zookeeper at a variety of zoos and wildlife parks. After a bad car accident, I wanted to experience the most I could out of life and went contract mustering, working at a dairy and any rural property work I could get as well as a security guard at country towns events all over Queensland. 

Since 2001 I have worked independently as a photographer at rodeos, campdrafts and other horse events. Since 2003 I have been involved in the circus industry caring and training for the animals and working the behind the scenes marketing, promotions and ticketing. I have worked the last 11 years for Hudsons Circus. 

I had my son in 2004 and continued rural property work. Being a single mum, Jack went everywhere I went. 

On 16th December 2007 my life changed completely. I was out mustering - an easy day riding the old gelding with my son (3 years old at the time) sitting in front of me. When we went out around some cattle that were straying from the herd and my horse fell down a hole in the long grass that neither the horse nor I saw. At the time I didn’t realise but now days I say I was very lucky it was a slow ride and we went down the hole sideways instead of a rotational fall. While falling I threw my son out sideways clear of the horse, but I couldn’t get myself out of the saddle and my right leg was crushed and lower spine shattered. I had no sensation in right leg at all with all nerves severed and only partial feeling in left leg due to spinal damage. I was told I would probably never walk or ride a horse again. 

I stayed on the 1000 acre property I was managing and found ways around most things from life in a manual wheelchair. Fortunately, I had a foal born on the 21st December 2007 that needed hand rearing and so my focus quickly switched from me to ‘how can I help and raise this filly’. I named her Caboonbah Something Special as she was definitely that; she pulled me out of the ‘I can’t do life anymore’ to the ‘I need to find ways to feed this filly hourly and get on with life’. 

Three years later nerves had started to repair and it looked like I might have a chance at learning to walk again. With intensive physio, practice, crutches and steel braces I learnt to walk in my own weird walking style. I was already riding horses again thanks to Kamilaroi trick riding horses that Guy McLean had taught to lay down and I could transfer from wheelchair onto them and get up and go. That gave me freedom of movement again and helped with my physio rehab muscle control.

In 2011 while on the wash bay at a show (on crutches and with steel supports on legs) the horse we were washing reared up and slipped on the wet concrete. As he came down he collected my head with his hoof and stood on my head on the metal tie up rail. He then went over the top of me and the rail while standing on my head. 

The next few years I have no recollection of, but I was moved to brain injury unit in Brisbane and then lived back at my mum’s place in Redlands. I was then having regular unconscious seizures. I had managed to keep a few of the horses I had bred and my son’s pony on agistment 2km away from my mum’s house. I got a mobility scooter and would drive twice a day up to the agistment pulling a trolley with bale of hay behind me or my son would run beside and pull the trolley for me. 

I was back full time in a wheelchair due to the seizures and injuries but as I healed, I learnt to walk again in my odd style with my crutches and steel braces. I was managing to get around enough and only sometimes needing the wheelchair whenever the area around my lower spine swelled too much. But as the seizures got worse over the years and I was injuring myself more from the falls. The injuries were too severe, and I then spent 26 weeks in a leg cast… 

I’ve been in a wheelchair full time ever since. 

I was bitten by a brown snake in 2014 while in the Redlands at the agistment property and thankfully I was ok after antivenin. I lost 14kgs in two weeks but soon recovered. In 2020 I wasn’t as lucky as I got bitten by a Tiger snake in front yard while sitting on the mobility scooter enjoying taking photos of my mares and foals. I spent 5 days in ICU as I had a reaction to the venom and then also a reaction to the antivenin. 

In May 2023, while in the shower after being at a horse show, I had more seizures than normal. I wasn’t able to breathe much and had severe chest pain, so my support worker called an ambulance. It was discovered the right side of my heart was severely damaged and enlarged. They found numerous blood clots in both legs with largest being 6.4cm, bilateral pulmonary embolisms in both lungs - too many to count. My lungs are now compromised and have reduced capacity and I am on blood thinners for life due to severity and damage of the clots. 

There is more but that’s a summary of how I got to where I’m at now…..

From 2020 I started to rescue and rehabilitate miniature horses and ponies that needed extra help. Using my previous animal care and handling experience but to now help the shorter horses in the world as there is less risk from my wheels - and I saw the need for them to have someone. I’ve had over 90 horses and ponies come through my care in the last four years that were either rescue cases or surrendered due to their owners situations. 

I started up a not for profit association with help of the Bright People from Bright Farm - 4 Legs and Wheels Inc. It is about people and animals, regardless of their limitations or differences in life, showing what is possible. We go to shows, events, hospitals, nursing homes etc bringing in some of the rescued minis that have been rehabilitated for people to interact with. I have also built up a show team of miniature horses and ponies that I take to the shows and other people who can’t own a horse or are unable to get their horses to shows, can use one of mine and have the fun of enjoying showing a horse or pony. 

We currently have training days once a month where anyone with any ability can come and bring their own horse or use one of mine and learn handling and clicker training.

Life is hard for everyone, and everyone has their own challenges to face, but if you can no longer do what you used to do, or how everyone else does it, it’s just about finding a different way to still do what we love with our animals and make the most of whatever we can still do.