Trainer faces a $300,000 fine after pleading guilty to negligence when an aspiring jockey, 19, fell from a horse and became a tetraplegic

  • An aspiring jockey was left a tetraplegic after she fell of a galloping horse
  • The horse trainer who allowed 19-year-old Sophia Malthus to ride faces a fine
  • He is facing a $300,000 fine for allowing her to ride the horse without training
  • She remains positive on her long road to recovery and wants to help others

By Brittany Chain For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 21:18 EDT, 1 November 2018 | Updated: 22:21 EDT, 1 November 2018

A trainer who allowed a teenage aspiring jockey to ride a horse with limited experience has pleaded guilty to negligence, and faces a $300,000 fine.

Trainer Stephen McKee pleaded guilty to letting Sophia Malthus, now 21, ride a horse in Auckland, New Zealand in July 2016 despite her lack of experience.

He claimed Ms Malthus' hours of private lessons would have sufficed as enough training, Newsroom reported.

The incident left Ms Malthus paralysed from the neck down.

She has undergone multiple surgeries, and requires 24-hour care.

Sophia Malthus was an aspiring jockey and had several lessons with placid, slow moving horses before the incident

Sophia Malthus was an aspiring jockey and had several lessons with placid, slow moving horses before the incident

An aspiring jockey was left a tetraplegic after she came off the back of a galloping horse

An aspiring jockey was left a tetraplegic after she came off the back of a galloping horse

Her previous training sessions had only dealt with old and subdued horses, and she had never experienced a horse galloping before.

Ms Malthus lost control of the horse, who was reaching high speeds, and only galloped faster when she began to scream.

She fell and hit a fence, which broke her spine in multiple places.   

Despite the setbacks, Ms Malthus has remained in high spirits and is constantly in rehabilitation with the hopes of one day regaining more of her autonomy.

'I am currently going through rehab at the Auckland Spinal Unit which is teaching me how to live with being in an electric wheelchair and some very basic self-help skills but on the whole, I require full time round the clock care.' 

Despite the setbacks, Ms Malthus has remained in high spirits and is constantly in rehabilitation with the hopes of one day regaining more of her autonomy

Despite the setbacks, Ms Malthus has remained in high spirits and is constantly in rehabilitation with the hopes of one day regaining more of her autonomy

'I have high hopes of gaining enough recovery to lead a full life again and to achieve this I will need to pursue many alternative treatments which are not currently funded by the health system here,' she wrote on her GiveALittle fundraising page.

'These include but are not limited to Peptide/Hyperbaric Oxygen and Stem Cell therapy and even virtual reality running/walking therapy.'

Her hope is to one day educate others who are also in her position, concluding the message by saying she 'would love to share the knowledge she gains with others in the same position.' 

She sustained a C4-5 level spinal cord injury in the fall - causing quadriplegia, leaving her with almost no sensation or motor skills from the collarbone down. 

Ms Malthus lost control of the horse, who was reaching high speeds, and only galloped faster when she began to scream

Ms Malthus lost control of the horse, who was reaching high speeds, and only galloped faster when she began to scream

'Something I definitely struggle with on Instagram is how honestly I should be portraying a spinal cord injury,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

'I know that my Instagram account gets shown to other young girls who have just had a spinal cord injury and I want them to know that you can still have a happy and fulfilling life.

'But people should also realise that I didn't just break my neck and go back to life – I haven't been to school or work in two years.'

 

Advertisement

Horse trainer faces $300,000 fine after teenage girl was made a tetraplegic

Most watched News videos

Comments 0

Share what you think

No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards.

Add your comment

What's This?

By posting your comment you agree to our house rules.