With little chance of walking again, Jack Lawson is faced with heartache when he loses his horse Matilda in Blue Heelers

Confined to a wheelchair after being shot while investigating a case in Mt Thomas, Con Jack Lawson faces a big challenge in life. But this week in the Seven Network’s Blue Heelers, he has to make his toughest decision yet - what will be the fate of his beloved horse Matilda?

"It’s a really big thing for Jack," says his portrayer Rupert Reid. "He’s in a wheelchair, it doesn’t look like he’s going to get to ride a horse again - and he really doesn’t want to be reminded of his old self.

"Matilda is such an important side of Jack, but he can’t really manage a horse. He gets a bit of cash from this bloke who’s really into horses and can look after her, so he decides to let go of her."

Some Blue Heelers viewers may see Jack’s decision as a sign that he’s giving up hope of walking, but that’s not the case.

"I look at it more as letting go," Rupert says. "Jack’s in a wheelchair and he’s agonising, so he’s just being practical."

Deciding to get rid of Matilda is one of the hardest things Jack has faced - but the frustration of being in the wheelchair is what’s really getting to him.

"He doesn’t want people to feel sorry for him," Rupert explains. "There are a lot of people who treat Jack like an invalid, so it’s really frustrating for him. He’s so annoyed by the way other people react to him."

Before getting into the wheelchair, Rupert spent a lot of time with several paraplegics in an attempt to understand the emotions Jack would be feeling.

"I spoke to a policeman who was shot and in a similar situation to Jack’s, and I spent a lot of time with a paraplegic support group, who were a great bunch of people. I met one woman who kept telling me that she’d never heard of a ‘temporary paraplegic’ before I came along - meaning I was in a wheelchair during the day and then would walk right out when filming was over!"

Rupert also played a game of wheelchair basketball with the Australian Paralympics men’s basketball team while preparing for the role.

"That was a sobering experience," he says. "These guys are so full-on - they play really strong and they’re so full of life. They have opened the door to the challenges they face and said, ‘I’m going to do this,’ and all power to them. If you say to these guys that being a paraplegic is a disadvantage, they just don’t believe you."

The paraplegic storyline in Blue Heelers has also resulted in the relationship between Jack and fellow police officer Con Jo Parrish (Jane Allsop) becoming even closer.

But if the Blue Heelers producers plan to bring the duo together as a couple, Rupert is keeping his mouth clamped tightly shut.

"You know that I can’t tell you that!" he laughs. "The situation with Jack and Jo will change - but so does Jack’s relationship with everyone in Mt Thomas."