Standing ovation as Nicola Wilson walks on stage to collect inspiration award

There was a standing ovation as Nicola Wilson took the HorseDialog Inspiration of the Year title at the 2022 Horse & Hound Awards, in partnership with NAF.

The eventing European champion walked on to the stage last night (30 November), with her husband Alastair, nearly seven months after she was seriously injured in a fall at Badminton Horse Trials.

Nicola spent more than four months in hospital undergoing intensive physiotherapy and rehab, and returned home in September. This week, she shared a video of herself walking at home.

After she had walked on stage, to a storm of applause, last night, she said: “I think everyone in this room – and the other people nominated – are massive inspirations. But everyone who’s supported me through the last few months has been inspirational. The messages of support from people – and of course, this guy here [Alastair] – have been phenomenal.”

Compère John Kyle asked Nicola about her future plans around getting more involved in the training side of the sport.

“Horses and the sport are what I love,” she said. “I dreamed of competing at the top all my life. It’s sad to see an empty yard, and it would be nice to be part of someone else’s journey.

“I’ve had a wonderful time and it’s important I move to the next chapter of my life with the same positivity and determination I did to the first.”

In her update on Tuesday, Nicola thanked the British Eventing Support Trust for its ongoing help with her recovery.

“I’m really pleased with my rehab and feel I’m getting stronger and more mobile each day, which is fabulous,” she said.

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