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The Australian Para-equestrian team has fine-tuned their Paralympic preparations at Le Pôle International du Cheval in Deauville, Normandy, approximately 200 kilometres north-west of Paris.
In addition to polishing techniques and routines, the 10-day staging camp allowed riders Bridget Murphy, Stella Barton, Dianne Barnes and Lisa Martin to adjust to the different time zone.
“We were looking for a place a little away from Paris, where we could be quiet while having easy access to the capital,” Team Leader Nick Hunter said.
The camp also provided a special opportunity for the team to connect with history, especially for Grade I rider Stella Barton, who has past family connections with the region.
This year, the Normandy region celebrated the 80th anniversary of the Allied landings on June 6, 1944 and the ensuing Battle of Normandy. For the occasion, many festivities and commemorations have been held, including a public commemoration in Deauville.
Deauville was liberated from the Nazi occupation by the Piron Brigade on August 22, 1944, and Barton’s grandfather was a skilled mechanic with the RAF during the liberation of north-western France.
The Australian Para-equestrian team attended the Deauville event as special guests of the Mayor, Philippe Augier, and were seated in the veterans’ box alongside Piron Brigade veterans Henri D’Oultremont and André Liégeois. The Deputy Mayor made a special acknowledgement of Barton’s presence at the commemoration.
Deauville will have further reason to celebrate this week when the Paralympic Flame passes through as part of the torch relay.
After being lit on August 25 in Stoke Mandeville – the birthplace of the Paralympic movement – the flame will travel to France with a group of 24 British athletes via the Channel Tunnel and handed to 24 French athletes in Calais.
The flame will be used to light 12 torches, symbolising 11 days of competition and the Opening Ceremony, and will head in different directions to kick off the Paris Paralympics. The flames will converge on Paris on August 28, where the Paralympic Cauldron will be lit.
The equestrian competition will be held in the scenic grounds of the Chateau de Versailles, starting on September 3.
Watch the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games on the 9Network and 9Now live and free, and on Stan Sport from August 28 to September 8.
By: Ashley Gillespie
Published: 26 August 2024
