Hey, Natasha! Can you tell us how you first got into para equestrian and when you knew you had potential?

I grew up on my family farm so I was surrounded by horses and fell in love with them. I started riding my friends’ ponies from a young age then, when I was eight, I got a spot at my local Riding for the Disabled Association group and rode there every week. I started riding competitively at the RDA National Championships the following year and won my class. That was the start of my journey.

When I watched the Sydney Olympics in 2000, that inspired me and I knew that I really wanted to win a Paralympic gold medal one day. I was talent spotted in the same year and put onto a world-class programme development squad, which meant I was supported by The National Lottery and could then put my all into the sport. The rest is history.

What does your training regime look like to help you prepare for a competition?

I train on one horse at the moment: Keystone Dawn Chorus, or Lottie to her friends. I work with her four or five times a week for around 45 to 60 minutes each time. I also swim every week and have regular physio sessions. I find that yoga a few times per week really helps me because it builds my strength and flexibility. Then most of my downtime is spent chasing around after my son.

That’s a full schedule – how do you fuel your sessions?

I tend to have staple foods like chicken stir fry, spaghetti bolognese and chilli con carne, which are packed with lots of vegetables. I snack on fruit and yoghurt to snack, plus a cheeky packet of Haribo for a sugar kick.

“My horse changed my entire life”: para equestrian Natasha Baker on becoming a six-time gold medal-winning athlete