Gemma Potts, who suffered life-changing injuries in a 2021 accident, has been awarded for her enduring partnership with former racehorse Charlie. The duo received the Sir Peter O’Sullevan Charitable Trust RoR partnership of the year at the 2026 Jockey Club RoR Awards. Fundraising efforts continue to support her rehabilitation.
Gemma Potts and her horse Optimal Spirit, known as Charlie, were honored with the Sir Peter O’Sullevan Charitable Trust RoR partnership of the year award at the 2026 Jockey Club RoR Awards on 24 January. Due to her injuries, Potts could not attend the ceremony at Cheltenham Racecourse, where her friend Victoria Baker accepted the award on her behalf.
Potts purchased Charlie in 2015 after he arrived at the yard where she worked for eventer Emma Hawskby. Initially not seeking an ex-racehorse, she came to appreciate their intelligence, eventually owning three. Together, they progressed from preliminary dressage and showjumping to medium-level dressage, BE100 eventing, hunting, and two appearances at the RoR Championships.
Tragedy struck in 2021 at a show when a friend's panicked horse knocked Potts into lorry steps, breaking her neck and damaging her spinal cord, resulting in paralysis from the shoulders down. She spent seven weeks in intensive care, six months in spinal high dependency, and nearly two and a half years in residential care.
Eight to nine months post-accident, Potts reunited with Charlie, who remained unfazed by her wheelchair. "It was as if nothing had changed for him," she told Horse & Hound. Now cared for by her mother Linda, Charlie continues to interact affectionately with Potts during visits. "I’ve spent the last 11 years with him, I know him so well," she said.
An incomplete injury offers a small chance of improvement, but with no NHS rehabilitation support, the Gemma Potts Community—initiated by Baker and the equestrian community—fundraises for specialized therapy. "It’s not guaranteed that I will [improve], but there is always a small chance," Potts noted, expressing hope amid ongoing fortnightly sessions and plans for intensive residential rehab.
