Manning Family Back at the Ranch

Filed in Recent News by October 13, 2016

JAMIE “Dodge” Manning is home with his young family and unpacking after their three and a half week ride from Tilpa to Bourke.

See gallery below.

Bray, Karen, Lori, Jedd and Jamie Manning on their family adventure.

Bray, Karen, Lori, Jedd and Jamie Manning on their family adventure.

It was a ride Dodge and his wife Karen planned so they could have an adventure with their children and take a break from the ongoing schedule of surgeries and medical appointments following Dodge being in a car accident two years ago.

The burns Dodge sustained meant they had to plan a timing of their ride to be when the weather was mild to allow his body to more easily regulate temperature and the challenges he faced physically on the ride were significant.

But Dodge has been on a much tougher journey recovering from 40% full thickness burns, his leg being amputated, seven weeks in an induce coma, more than 50 surgeries and counting, which he has taken in his stride and despite his challenges he is focused on helping other amputees so the family adventure was also to raise money for Limbs4Life.

“One thing that I can’t express enough is, for anyone that wants to do something, no matter what it is or how hard it may be to accomplish, go and do it,” said Jamie “Dodge” Manning.

“The hardest part I found about the ride was the toll that it took on my body daily,” he said

“The most enjoyable aspect of the entire ride was having the opportunity to spend time with the family in the most beautiful place in Australia, as well as meeting great people along the way,” Dodge said.

The wet weather meant a change to their plans and a detour via Cobar with their four horses, three dogs and three children.

“It was a long distance, so we just rode the equivalent kilometres of the original path and then we trucked the horses the rest of the way,” said Karen.

“We were in the saddle for about six hours a day,” she said.

“The toughest thing was the pain Dodge endured in doing it, with his prosthetics and his scarring it was a very painful experience, many days it was painful from the moment he got on until the moment he got off and that was the hardest part for me to watch,” she said.

“But the people that we met were wonderful, we caught up with people that we knew and people we didn’t know and out there, there are just so many characters and they are a different breed of people they are just so warm and generous and friendly,” she said.

“Spending time with the kids both on horse-back during the day and around the camp of a night was wonderful.

“But you need a lot of stuff,” she laughed.

“I wished we’d taken a toaster funnily enough for the days we did have power,” she said.

Their son, 14 year old Jedd filmed the family adventure and hopes to make a documentary in the next six months which may even have a special screening in Scone.

“It was a trip of a lifetime and to see that dad can still ride, so others can get through big traumas like that too,” said Jedd Manning.

“It was just good to help out other people with amputations through Limbs4Life, for people like dad,” he said.

“There were real characters in the towns like Cobar and that was probably the best part,” he said.

“And it was good to sit around the campfire and tell jokes,” said Jedd Manning.

To donate please go to: Everyday Hero.

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Lori, Bray, Karen and Jamie on the home straight.

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Lori, Bray, Karen and Jamie on the home straight.

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