Back on the Road with Irene & Brian | Episode 7: A Trip Down Memory Lane

When my sister and I were little girls, we took horse riding lessons. Unfortunately for poor Mum and Dad, we loved this expensive hobby! Mum was too nervous to watch us ride, so Dad became the one who ferried us to and from the riding stables.

Some of my fondest childhood memories are of early mornings with Dad and my sister, going to a local show with our pony. Dad worked long hours (with hindsight, this was probably to pay for the pony) and this time spent together was precious to us all.

In later life, as my sister and I returned to riding, and having our own horses again, Dad would still come and watch. It was “our thing” that we did together, and a lovely nostalgic reminder of that quality time we’d spent together when we were children.

But when Dad stopped being able to get in and out of an ordinary car, that time together with the horses became yet another part of his life that was taken away. Not just from him, but from us too.

So it was with great excitement that we planned an outing in the Brotherwood WAV for Dad to watch Helen ride her new horse, Ivy.

I picked Dad up and we made our way to meet Helen and her horse at Stretcholt Equestrian Centre just outside Bridgwater. We’re lucky that a lot of the equestrian venues near us are wheelchair friendly, with good, flat surfaces to manoeuvre across.

Dad and I watched as Helen tacked up Ivy and got ready to ride. It was just like old times, chatting about all things horsey.

Mum had sent Dad off with a packed lunch, which he ate while he watched Helen and Ivy put through their paces by the riding instructor. All of us were beaming by the end of the afternoon.

Afterwards, as we drove home, I thought about how easy it is to underestimate all the different ways that not being mobile can exclude you from things. And how having a Brotherwood WAV can open up all sorts of opportunities for interaction again.

Next Time, Irene and Brian discover a nearby National Trust property where Brian can go off-roading…

About this Blog

‘Back on the Road’ follows how a Brotherwood Volkswagen Caddy Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle (WAV) is changing the lives of Somerset residents, Irene and Brian.

Brian is a wheelchair user and the couple are 80-something-young. They have a Golden Retriever, Barnaby, who will sadly never experience the adventures a Brotherwood WAV makes possible, as he refuses to travel by car.

The blog is written by one of their daughters, and will bring regular updates of how they are rediscovering the joys of spontaneous travel thanks to Brotherwood.