O’Tauto and Claire after winning the Furlong Bar Handicap at Flemington in 2019. (Pat Scala/Racing Photos)
“The specialist said he thought I would ride but it would take at least 12 months and that became the driving factor in my recovery – I wanted to make that happen,” said Skerman. “People commented about how positive I was during my recovery and when I was in the wheelchair and then the back brace. I just felt so lucky that I was going to walk and ride again, even if it took time and pain. I counted down every day of that 12 months.” When Skerman was strong enough to get back in the saddle, she invited family and close friends to see her ride her Clydesdale- cross, Falcon, for the first time. “That morning I was so excited but I was also terrified that I’d land in the saddle and feel I didn’t belong there anymore. If I couldn’t ride anymore, I didn’t know what I would do with my life. My whole life has been horses and so it was a huge relief to get in the saddle and it feel like home.”
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