Former Paralympic horse rider faces paralysis due to ‘crumbling’ spine but would not change his time at top of his sport

A former Paralympic horse rider faces the prospect of paralysis due to his “crumbling” spine, but he would not change the time he spent at the top of his sport.

Ricky Balshaw, 38, from Telford, Shropshire was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when he was 18-months-old and as a form of physiotherapy, he started horse riding at the age of four to help stretch out his tightened muscles.

The now full-time stand-up comedian underwent a major spinal operation at the age of 10 to reduce spasticity (muscle tightness) in his legs, a surgery which came with “crazy risks”, but it allowed Ricky to go on to spend 16 years as a top para-equestrian rider.

At the 2008 Games in Beijing, he secured the silver medal with horse Deacons Giorgi, also known as George, who sadly died in 2024 – and while Ricky said he had “a lot of falls and broken bones” from his time as a rider, he had “a lot of great moments too”.

As the years went by, the fusion points created on his spine during his childhood operation have started to “crumble away” and Ricky now faces the prospect of becoming paralysed if his spine “collapses” – leaving him feeling “vulnerable” that one wrong move or fall could trigger it.

Ricky underwent a procedure in December 2024 to repair and strengthen his spine but one area of weakness remains which could still cause the total collapse of his spinal cord – and he hopes his GoFundMe page will help him with the costs for a secondary surgery before it is too late.

Ricky told PA Real Life: “There is one way of looking at it to say yes, I wish I hadn’t done what I have throughout my career because I wouldn’t be in the position that I am now.

“But if I hadn’t done it, I don’t know where my life would be and I’m so happy in my life now.

“Let’s be honest, 16 years representing your country is pretty cool, I got paid to do my hobby – it was an amazing experience and I don’t think I would change it.”

Ricky was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when he was 18-months-old.

“I just didn’t develop, I didn’t hit my normal targets as kids would,” he said.

He started horse riding at the age of four as a form of physiotherapy to stretch out his tightened muscles.

“When I first started, I couldn’t stay on the horse on my own but as time went on, I learnt to gain control,” he said.

“I wasn’t trying to be the best disabled rider there, I was trying to be the best rider there.”

At 10-years-old, Ricky underwent a major operation on his spinal cord called a Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy, which aims to reduce spasticity (muscle tightness) in the lower limbs of children with cerebral palsy.

“I was only the seventh in Europe to have it done, it was very new at the time,” Ricky said, adding he had the operation in 1997.

“They take a few sections of your spine out, sort of separate your spinal cord up and test which nerve endings give the most spastic results on the muscles.

“The ones that are determined to be the most spastic, they kill, so they’re basically killing the muscles which were working against me.”

Ricky said the operation carried “crazy risks” where he could have been left paralysed or impotent, but it went “absolutely to plan”.

Following this, Ricky said they “put the spine back in” and “fused it together”.

He later went on to represent Britain at the 2008 Paralympic games in Beijing, where he secured a silver medal with Deacons Giorgi.

“It was a lot of falls, a lot of broken bones but a lot of great moments as well,” he said.

“I’ve got a tattoo of George on my arm with a quote which says, ‘he lends me his legs and we take on the world’.”

Years went by and Ricky retired, but “lots” of falls and the impact of horse riding have caused the fusion points on Ricky’s spine to crumble away – and he now faces the prospect of becoming paralysed.

“Had I not have led the lifestyle I’ve led, it would have been fine,” he said.

“But because I’ve had a career with horse riding and had many falls, and with dressage or horse riding in general there’s a lot of constant impact on your spine.

“Those fusion points have just started to crumble away.”

He added the points would eventually “crumble to nothing” which would cause his spine to “collapse” and sever his spinal cord.

Ricky had a procedure on December 5 2024 to inject a cement-like substance to repair and strengthen the fusion points – but one area is still much weaker than the others and could pose a serious issue.

“Three of the four have set and been perfect but one point has leaked and run onto the outside of my spine – a small crack has formed and there’s a lot of pressure on that one area,” he explained.

“I think it would only take me falling over at the wrong time or hitting myself at the wrong angle for it to go.

“I feel quite vulnerable at the moment because the doctors and I don’t know how strong it is.

“The fear of being paralysed scares me so much.”

Ricky launched a GoFundMe page to help fundraise for the treatment required to fix his spine, raising over £12,000 so far.

He now needs to reach around £15,000 to secure the costs for a second procedure to ensure he is out of the woods for good.

“As soon as I’ve got the money, I can have the operation,” he said.

“I hate having to ask for help but I’m not earning as much as I have done previously, not as near as much as I was on the team.

“It just came at the wrong time to be able to afford it.”

To find out more, visit Ricky’s GoFundMe page here: gofundme.com/f/jtp676-i-need-major-help