I remembered anxiously waiting for a reply, the disappointment when it never came – and all the adventures I went on after that letdown

I’ve always been a daredevil, but fear completely lost its grip on me when I was 15. A ­horseback riding accident resulted in severe injuries, the death of my beloved horse Spooks and the devastating news I’d never ride again. I was set on proving the doctors wrong. Just a few months later, with my mother’s support, I rode sidesaddle to win my first jumping competition. The thrill was incredible.

From then on, I dedicated my life to adventure, remembering my mother’s lesson: never say, “I can’t”. At 22, I read about an opening to be a motorcycle stunt rider – I’d learned to ride a few years earlier. Still, it was 1976 and I knew they were unlikely to hire a woman.