Ex-jockey paralysed from the neck down in racing accident climbs Mount Snowden

07 August 2023 , 15:25

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Ed Barrett (in yellow) and team at the top of Mount Snowden (Image: @EdBarrett_9/Twitter)

A former point-to-point jockey who suffered life-changing injuries in a racing fall has scaled Wales’s highest peak.

Ed Barrett, 35, was kicked in the neck when a horse galloped over him as he lay on the ground from a fall at a meeting in Devon eight years ago. He was left paralysed from the neck down and had to undergo a seven hour operation.

Surgeons performed a bone graft from his hip to rebuild his neck which was fixed in place with metal plates and screws. He was in intensive care for three weeks and spent five months in a specialist spinal unit where he began to regain small movements in his arms and legs.

After a long period of rehabilitation he was able to start living independently using a wheelchair and walk short distances with the use of crutches.

He has undertaken several challenges since and completed his most ambitious yet when reaching the summit of Mount Snowden at the weekend, raising £10,000 for the Injured Jockeys’ Fund and Midlands Air Ambulance.

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Explaining the mission, Barrett said on his : “I will be using my specialised carbon fibre leg splints, crutches and a small select team to help me along the way. Training has already begun, with a date set in early August to complete the challenge.

Ed Barrett: was paralysed from the neck down after fall

“This challenge is going to be extremely difficult for me with many unknowns, but since my accident, my life has been all about adapting, overcoming and taking things one ‘step’ at a time, so I feel confident that I can give it my all.

“I’d like to thank the Injured Jockeys fund who have continually supported me from day 1, and the Air ambulance who rescued me. For that reason, I would like to raise as much money as possible to support them.”

Supporters of Barrett were in awe of his feat with Sir A P McCoy saying: “What a man”, and Martin Dwyer offering his congratulations.

Jon Lees