Steph grew up in Hampshire and lived in the area until relocating to the East Midlands to join her husband Jon, who is a soldier in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME). Steph is Operations manager for non-profit organisation Forces Wives Challenge (FWC). Steph and Jon have a 6 year old son and spend as much time as they can in Hampshire with their horses who are still stabled there.  Jon is in his final years serving in the Army and the family will relocate back to Hampshire when he retires in September of 2025.

In 2019, Steph suddenly became very unwell and was subsequently diagnosed with a complex neurological condition, which among other debilitating symptoms, took away her ability to walk or even stand. As a full time wheelchair user, with limited use in one of her hands, Steph has been determined not to let her disability dictate what she can and can’t do.  

And so, with sheer determination, passion, hard work and a lot of support, Steph got back in the saddle and has achieved more than she ever imagined to be possible. 

In June 2023, alongside a team of FWC ladies, Steph took on the enormous challenge of riding by horseback across the Pyrenees mountains from France to Spain, using the WW2 freedom trails, and on completion, became the world’s first wheelchair dependant person to do so. The team spent 5 days on horseback, covering some 130 km over difficult, rugged, and often dangerous mountain terrain, to recreate the arduous journey taken by so many to escape occupied France, into Spain.

Always someone who is looking at the next challenge in life, Steph has now set up Equine Para-adventures CIC (EPA) alongside her husband Jon, and they have big dreams with where they want to take the organisation. 

Through EPA, Steph will tackle an even tougher challenge in February 2026, when alongside a team of 5 incredible women, she will aim to become the world’s first wheelchair dependant person to ride by horseback across the Andes, starting in Argentina and finishing in Chile, in what will be EPA's flagship adventure.