My name is Emma. At 18 I was paralysed from the chest down in a riding accident. A few (not so great!) years after my accident I started carriage driving. Since then I have represented Ireland at 7 world championships and am currently Ireland's only international para driver and compete at national level against able-bodied drivers.

A piece of equipment that is absolutely essential to me is my Swiss Trac (in the photo), a little tractor that pulls my wheelchair along. The Swiss Trac enables me to get around at events (to/from stables, toilets, my horsebox etc) independently and crucially to walk and learn the cross country obstacles and the cones course that form two parts of the competition. Unlike other options, the Swiss Trac is the only one that's both able to cope with the ground conditions and small/light enough to fit into my small horsebox.

I have had my current Swiss Trac for nearly 20 years and it's been phenomenally reliable but 20 years is double the estimated lifespan and it is now having trouble doing what I need it to do. There is no way for me to compete without it so I find myself needing a replacement. They aren't cheap though and if I could fund it myself I would but that's not possible.

Me and my pony Mossy (who only has one eye - we may be the only para driver-para horse combination in the world!) are due to represent Ireland in our first non-para international event in France at the end of May. This would be a massive milestone for us, to compete on an equal level against able-bodied drivers on the international stage. To do that to the best of our abilities means having the right equipment. That's why I'm asking for help. Thank you for reading this and donating if you can :)