Local Talk Back June 2014

HARRY MEADE ( A fairy-tale ending)
This is a short story of courage, determination and
love for a sport at the highest level. For those of
you that don't know, last Autumn Luckington
based Event rider Harry Meade had an horrific
fall when competing at a Horse Trials where he
was catapulted spear-like into the ground
resulting in both elbows and upper arms being
shattered. It was thought he may never even ride
again, yet alone compete in the sport at the
highest level again, Harry however had other
ideas, horse riding after all was in his blood.
From a very early age he had been taken out on
his pony with the Beaufort Hunt by his Eventing
double Olympic Gold medalist father Richard, and
his mother Angela, an avid follower of the Beaufort Hunt.
A young Harry on his pony with the Beaufort Hunt
Following a lengthy stay in hospital, once
home Harry's real fight back soon began,
to not only compete again but to ride at
Badminton this year. Most thought even
for his guts and determination to be able to
ride at Badminton would be no more than
wishful thinking, not only did he prove
them wrong in getting there, and then
completing this year’s tough Cross-
Country course without even a refusal and
with one of the fastest time of the day, but
then followed that up by having just one
fence down in the show jumping phase to
propel him up the leader-board to finish in
a fairy-tale third position. Surely even for
him that was something he could not have imagined when laying in that hospital bed with both arms
in plaster just 6 months before. For many years he was considered one of the very best Cross-
Country riders in the world, and widely predicted to one day represent Great Britain, surely now
that prediction is one step closer, and if fulfilled nobody will have deserved it more !!
Harry being interviewed by
Claire Balding for the BBC.
Photos & story by Ray Bird, Acton Turville