Claudia Finds Much to Celebrate Through Her Love of Horses

Claudia Howlett and her Clydie-cross named Zach have a very special relationship.

Claudia Howett has been riding since she was four years old.  Today, jumping and hacking-out on her Clydie-cross gelding called Zach, it could be said that she is living the life of a typical 25-year-old.  Yet her story is all the more remarkable, when we learn that at just 8 weeks of age, she was diagnosed with bilateral retinoblastoma, a type of childhood eye cancer that severely affected her eyesight. 

Within 24 hours of the diagnosis her right eye was removed as tumours were heading towards her optic nerve.   Medical practice was very different back in 2001.  The doctors spent six months trying every option they had available to them, before recommending Claudia’s left eye should be removed as well.

“Thankfully, my parents turned around and said, yeah, no, we’re not keen on that, and actually found a doctor in Miami who thought that he could save it.”

With the help of extended family, Claudia and her mother left for Miami on a trip that was supposed to be three months long.  But it ended up with her whole family joining them there for the next three years.

The Miami specialist was able to save her left eye, however, there was a lot of damage that left her with her peripheral vision only.

“I can see about a metre in front of me. Specialists use visual acuity a lot, so they would say I have a visual acuity of 1:60; I can see at one metre the same level of detail that a person with 20:20 vision can see in an object 60 metres away.”

Claudia and Zach are joined by her father, brother and dog Aztec on paddock change day.

Despite the severe impairment, Claudia loves riding her horse Zach around a 230-acre property where she grazes in Dairy Flat, in North Auckland.  Her father likes to accompany her and will often walk the property while Claudia and Zach get a ride in.

Claudia has been riding consistently since she was just four years old.  She was introduced to horses through the Blind and Low Vision Education Network of New Zealand (BLENNZ).  She was provided with a Resource Teacher Vision (RTV) as the liaison with her mainstream school, who connected her with Riding for the Disabled.

“I just kept going from there.”

She continued with the North Shore Riding for the Disabled in Stillwater until she finished primary school, and then went to a variety of different riding schools.  She rode leased ponies, until at 18, she had saved enough to buy her own horse.  Zach came to the riding school Claudia attended when he was three.

“I just fell in love with him.  He’s huge and very steady, like a rocking horse. Dependable and perceptive – he’s a gentle giant,” she says.

Claudia continued to ride Zach at the riding school for another three years, then moved him to the North Shore Riding Club just north of Albany.  The Clydie-cross is now 13 years old.

“Obviously, I can’t drive because of my eyesight. I live on the North Shore, so the club is great as it’s nice and close.  I have to rely on other people to drive me there or I can get Ubers if I need to.  Being at the club also means that I don’t need to float him out on the weekends to get to an arena or go for a hack on one of the riding trails, as it’s all there.”

A day at a West Coast beach for Claudia and Zach is a rare chance to blow off steam.

Claudia is very independent.  Once she gets to the club, she does everything herself despite her limited vision.

“At the start, when I first had Zach, he wasn’t too great at coming when he was called. But he’s quickly learnt that if he doesn’t come, he’s not going to get any food.  So, now he gets to the gate as soon as I arrive.  We used to love jumping when I first was riding him. We’d do little jumps, small probably up to 80cm-ish.

“Whenever I jumped, I would have someone in the arena with me talking me through the distances and directions.  A lot of it, I do off ‘feel’ to be honest.  I can tell when Zach’s gearing up to jump, and so that’s when I get myself into the right position and hope for the best,” she says.

Claudia also became classified as a para-equestrian rider and had callers to help her in dressage so that she could orientate herself to the arena.  But she didn’t get as far as competing as she didn’t have her own horse at the time.

Unfortunately, a couple of years ago recurring tumours led to an operation in which the blood supply to her leg was inadvertently damaged.  There are many long term consequences of this, and sadly jumping is no longer possible.

“Zach is a gentle giant.”

The regularity of her riding has reduced due to her leg injury. She still visits Zach regularly, but only rides every couple of weeks.

“As a teenager, I was all about jumping and doing dressage and competing and thought that was the path I was going to go on. Now that I’m a bit older, I just enjoy hacking and spending time with my horse.

“One day, I’d love to take Zach out for big trail rides. He seems to just light up!  One of my favourites where I graze, is the step trail.  There are logs set into the hill as steps, and he loves racing up those. It’s great to see him enjoying it.”

Claudia also has a black Labrador Guide Dog  called Aztec who gets along well with Zach.

“Initially, Zach wasn’t great with dogs, but he’s grown to love her and doesn’t mind her joining us in our travels.”

Claudia is the only equestrian in her family; neither of her siblings ride.

“I certainly don’t come from a horsey family. It’s purely down to RDA that I got into horses.”

Claudia has a Bachelor of Health Science, majoring in health management.  She works in the Department of Medicine at North Shore Hospital, coordinating the Senior Medical Officers.  Today is her 25^th birthday.  She hopes to celebrate it with some time at the riding club and a celebratory Guinness with her family.

Claudia’s Dad and Aztec lead the way.