Tough Girl Podcast Stephanie Quintrell: Riding Beyond Limits - A Journey of Courage and Adventure. Being the world’s first wheelchair-dependent person to ride horseback 130km across the Pyrenees from France to Spain.
Steph is a Mum to a her nearly 7 year old son, a soldiers wife, and Operations manager for Forces Wives Challenge (FWC). In July 2019 Steph and her families' world was turned upside down when she became suddenly very unwell, and was subsequently diagnosed with a neurological disorder.
Going from an active, full time working Mum and a keen horse rider, to fully dependant on a wheelchair, with complex health issues and requiring 24/7 care to support with everyday tasks, was life changing. With sheer determination, an incredible support network and a passion for adventure, less than two years later Steph was back in the saddle and aiming for the next challenge in life.
Steph found her new 'place' within the FWC community amongst other women seeming adventure.
In June 2023 Steph tackled FWC’s ‘Ride to Freedom’ expedition and became the world’s first wheelchair dependant person to ride by horse back across the Pyrenees from France to Spain. Steph and her team battled extreme heat, a dangerous thunder and lightening storm, treacherous ground and long days in the saddle to complete the 130km route using the WW2 freedom trails.
Steph has now also founded her own CIC (non-profit) called Equine Para-adventures, which will seek to offer disabled horse riders their own equine adventures out of the usual riding school set up. In February 2026 Equine Para-adventures will start its flagship adventure called ‘Ride to Independence’ when a team of 6 ladies, including Steph, will ride a historic route across the Andes from Argentina to Chile and Steph will aim to complete it and gain another ‘worlds first’.
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Show notes
- Who is Stephanie
- Living on an army base in the West Midlands
- Working for Forces Wives Challenges
- 20th June 2023 - first speaking with Stephanie on the TGP - Stephanie Quintrell - Forces Wives Challenge - Ride to Freedom across the Pyrenees mountains.
- The Ride To Freedom Challenge
- Planning the adventure in late 2021
- Focusing on the fitness for the challenge and not the mental/emotional side
- The challenges of getting on the plane and flying with a wheelchair
- Working with a provider in France
- The stress in the run up to the start and why it was a relief to start
- Riding the horse in exactly the same was as anybody else does
- Having exceptional core strength and balance
- The incredible horses and the amazing job they did
- Crossing a challenging bridge and why it was scary for multiple reasons
- Managing emotions during stressful moments
- Why adventure is calculated risk
- Not feeling disabled while horseback riding
- The lessons learned from the challenges
- Gaining more independence back and feeling more confident
- Being able to ask for and accept help
- Deciding to set up Equine Para-adventures CIC
- The plans for Feb 2026 in Argentina
- Needing to find financial support
- How to connect with Steph online
- Final words of advice to encourage more women to step outside their comfort zone
- Life’s too short - do something a scary to push yourself and see what you can achieve
Social Media
Equine Para-adventures CIC is a non-profit organisation dedicated to empowering the disabled community through a range of equestrian activities aimed at fostering inclusivity and enriching lives.
Website: www.equine-para-adventures.org
Instagram: @equine_para_adventures
Facebook: Equine Para-Adventures CIC
Personal
Instagram: @steph_backinthesaddle
Facebook: Stephanie Quintrell- disabled adventurer/para-equestrian
Forces Wives Challenge
Instagram: @forces_wives_challenge
Facebook: @forces_wives_challenge