BARREL RACER AMBERLEY SNYDER, 10 YEARS LATER…
Amberley Snyder is a remarkable young woman living with a T11-T12 spinal cord injury (SCI) who is a source of inspiration for thousands of people from all journeys of life. Not only has she been featured in top media sources but her story has also been made into a Netflix original movie called “Walk. Ride. Run.”
From the early age of 7, she began competing as a barrel racer. She has always been easy to spot in the arena, not only for her showmanship and skills but also for her long flowing blonde hair beneath her cowboy hat. By 18 years of age, she was competing in rodeos regularly. She won the 2009 All-Around Cowgirl World Championship. Additionally, she served as State President of the Utah FFA (Future Farmers of America). Her future looked bright with big dreams of professionally competing.
January 10, 2010, Amberley’s entire world changed. While driving to Denver for a stock show, she looked away only for a moment to check her map, leading her truck to drift into the other lane. Immediately, she took the wheel back to the right and overcorrected. Her pickup rolled 7 times with Amberley conscious the entire time. Then she was thrown from the vehicle against a steel post.
It was fate that she survived the crash. She didn’t have her seat belt fastened and it could be what saved her life considering the truck cab’s extreme damage. Or perhaps, it was divine intervention, because in an instant the life of the headstrong rodeo competitor had purposely changed forever. Amberley Snyder was meant to do something greater.
Even with her lower body paralyzed below the waist due to her spinal cord injury, Amberley Snyder decided her future goals were to “walk, ride, rodeo.”
However, Amberley doesn’t shy away from straight talk about the time after her spinal cord injury and her following time in rehabilitation therapy. “It was too hard to take on big goals to start so I focused on small goals at first.” The journey toward rebuilding her sense of balance and range of motion in therapy was rigorous at times. She told her doctors that her balance was always better on a saddle than anywhere else. Once her dad brought in a saddle for her, her therapists had to agree.
I have learned over the years to appreciate the small victories.
There is never an accomplishment too small to celebrate!
Amberley Snyder
Amberley’s recovery from the accident is well-documented and remarkable. In just a matter of months, she was back atop her beloved horse. Almost instantly, she became a source of inspiration for anyone who came to know her story.
January 2020 marks the 10th anniversary of her accident as well as her 29th birthday. In the 10 years since Amberley’s road to recovery has not only been an inspiration to many, it has also been a journey for her family and friends, who, to this day, stand firmly by her side as she continues to grow and help others.
As for advice for people living in a wheelchair or new to their spinal cord injury, Amberley said, “I don’t ever wake up and say I am thankful for my chair or that it’s better than walking. If I could walk today, I would. However, it is possible to find happiness. And I truly believe with hard work, you have the ability to do so much! Life in a chair isn’t always easy but I promise that you can get stronger to handle so much of what you’re facing. Keep up the fight!”
Sources:
- https://youtu.be/IdUMLw_s-sE
- https://www.180medical.com/blog/amberley-snyder-spinal-cord-injury/
- https://horsenetwork.com/2020/01/barrel-racer-amberley-snyder-10-years-later/
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