Nicola's love for horses as a child triggered a passion that has seen her become a top rider and full time Paralympic athlete.
She started riding at 10 years old at the Clwyd Special Riding Centre, Llanfynydd, near Wrexham, and, at the age of 12, she started competing at national level and was selected for the British Junior Squad by the time she was 16.
Nicola, who was born with Right Hemipligia, a paralysis down the right side of her body, became a Welsh International rider at 17 and represented Great Britain in Israel in the Open Disabled Championship at 18, where she gained a gold and silver medal.
Since then she was selected for the Elite British Squad and has continued her winning ways amassing more than a dozen international gold medals, numerous world class gold medals and a selection of team and individual gold, silver and bronze medals. Nicola has also gained success in able-bodied national championships.
She is a full time paralympic athlete under a programme called the World Class Performance Plan which provides her with advice on monitoring health, diet, fitness and physiology.
Nicola, who competed in the Paralympic Games in Athens in 2004, won two individual bronze medals, one for the equestrian individual championships test, and the other for the equestrian freestyle. She also won a team gold. Also in 2004, Nicola was shortlisted for the Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability.
In July 2007 she competed in the World Championships, picking up individual gold winning the grade 2 test. Nicola, who was riding her veteran horse HotStuff because her main ride Prinz Heinrich was injured, then went on to take silver in the freestyle competition.
Soon after it transpired that Prinz Heinrich was lame and HotStuff was considered too old to make the trip to Beijing. Luckily, Nicola found Rivaldo [aka Bobbings], a dark brown, nine-year old Oldenburg, and pair started training by autumn 2007. But, in the end, Nicola was not selected to compete at Beijing, probably due to the partnership between rider and horse still being so new.
Away from competiton, Nicola is known for promoting disability in sport in all disciplines and devotes time to raising awareness of her sport within Wales.
Paralympic medallist, Welsh international horse rider, role model.
