I was born with a rare condition called Dejerine - Sottas. It means that I have very little sensation, no saving reactions, severe muscle weakness and a lack of motor control. I also have severe scoliosis, resulting in a double spinal fusion, the full length of my back. I am now a full time wheelchair user. When I was 4 years old, my Physiotherapist suggested that I should try riding. This is when I first went to Penniwells RDA, purely for therapy.
I progressed from being dependent on a leader & 2 side helpers to being able to ride on my own.
This is where my interest in Para Dressage first became apparent. Having begun riding on RDA Flossie
and winning competitions and a junior International at the age of 10, I was then very lucky to find my
first pony Brockholm Royal Vagabond. My most memorable moment was competing in Belgium at the
age of 12 with Vinnie. This was my first competition abroad and I won the juniors section. It
was a fantastic experience that I will never forget. Carrying The Olympic Torch was also a memorable
experience with an electric atmosphere! Video on website!
In July 2011, I was given the ride on the late Lambrusco III, owned by The Para Dressage Training Trust (PDTT), and previously ridden by Sophie Christiansen. Thanks go to the PDTT and Clive Milkins for giving me the opportunity to compete on this amazing horse. We competed at the Bishop Burton Para Dressage 2* Senior International in the grade 1a class. This was my first 2* International and we exceeded all expectations, being the youngest in the world to win at this level.
Followed by a successful major double spinal operation on my back to correct very severe scoliosis.
In 2018 I purchased Rohan from Elder Klatzko and started training at Elder Klatzko Dressage alongside Skjoldsgaard Hippo -Vo also from Elder! Both these horses helped with the qualifying scores for Tokyo Paralympics before going on to amazing new homes.
I now have two great horses Cleverboy owned by Bronte Watson on lease and my own Dark Diamond - both doing very well helping me win many Internationals and putting me in the top 3 in the World Ranking.
2021 Tokyo Paralympics on Cleverboy with over 75% and fourth in the Individual.
Herning 2022 World Equestrian Games: Double Bronze Medalist
2023: Great start at Addington CPEDI3* with wins on Cleverboy and third on Dark Diamond.
Aiming for The Europeans 2023 and Paris Paralympics 2024! With a huge amount of help from friends and family and fantastic sponsors! Links below!
Trained By Elder Klatzko
