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The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will write a magnificent new chapter in the Château de Versailles’ long and rich horse-riding history when the Para-equestrian competition begins there on Tuesday, September 3.
Australia’s all-female team features riders in four of the five Paralympic classifications – all but Grade III – with three of the four athletes making their Games debuts.
Placing fourth in all three dressage tests and the mixed freestyle at the 2016 Rio Paralympics on her mare First Famous, Grade V rider Lisa Martin says she has “unfinished business” on the world stage – she’ll be competing on German horse Vilaggio in Paris and is eager to improve on her efforts from Rio.
“Anyone that has been to a Games before and finished in the top four or five is hungry for a medal, so it’d be nice to push for a podium and reward the effort and work everyone has put in to get me here – which has been incredible,” said Martin.
Debutant Stella Barton, a Grade I rider born with cerebral palsy, will be competing on horse Lord Larmarque (Bug), cared for by three-Paralympian Sharon Jarvis and groomed by Ashleigh Campton. She is particularly thrilled to be riding down the centreline at Versailles given her love of history.
“It’s such an amazing venue for the equestrian to be held at and I’m very interested in history so for me it feels like a perfect combination. The venue is so impressive and unique, and the equestrian world will remember this for years to come. I feel so lucky that this is my Paralympic debut,” said Barton.
Grade I riders – the highest level of physical impairment - are permitted only to walk during dressage tests. However, during their freestyle tests, riders conduct the elements of a test in an undisclosed order to music and may show lateral work – the freestyle test being a strength of Bug and Barton’s.
“I rode Bug for the first time last September in WA and immediately we knew he was my Paris horse. When I’m riding him, we are absolutely connected. He has such a purposeful walk and loves being admired so I feel great when I’m riding him,” Barton added.
Victorian Dianne Barnes, a Grade IV rider diagnosed with Parkinson’s and dystonia, has dedicated her life to horses. Once a leading jockey, she began her journey as a para-rider in 2020 and quickly rocketed through the ranks, cementing herself as one of Australia’s leading athletes.
Now 66 years old, she will make her Paralympic debut riding Sharyn McCombe’s mare Sorena, groomed by Rebecca Haythorpe, a combination that have built a strong partnership and have been performing consistently well together.
“It’s absolutely super, it’s taken me a long time to get here and I’m really excited to be doing it on this special mare. My goal is a consistent, mistake free test, and it would be lovely to get a 70%. If I can step up in one or two places, a top ten finish would be amazing,” said Barnes.
A horse lover and rider all her life, Grade II rider Bridget Murphy made the move to para-equestrian in 2018 and has gone from strength to strength. She will make her Paralympic debut in Paris and will compete on Welsh x Dutch Riding Pony Penmain Promise, otherwise known as Macey.
At 13 hands high and only seven-years-old, Macey is likely to be the smallest pony in the arena by a considerable margin, but possibly the most loveable.
“I’ve had horses all my life, but I’ve never had one like her before. She tries her heart out for me, and everyone can see the real connection that we have. I genuinely feel that we’re very much in sync all the time,” said Murphy.
“I want to show the world how special she is. Every time we go out, she steps it up and I hope that we can do that again here at such an amazing venue and wearing the Australian colours,” she added.
At Tokyo 2020, the Australian para-equestrian team became the first ever Australian team to see all four riders place in the top ten of their respective Grades in the Individual Championship competition. The 2024 team is well-prepared and optimistic and with a solid mix of experienced coaches, elite horses, and top-tier athletes, they are poised to improve on the strong performances from Tokyo.
Australia hasn’t won a Paralympic medal in equestrian since 2012 and will face a mighty challenge to return the green and gold to the dais, but whatever the outcome, it will be fantastic to watch the competition at Versailles, one of the first Paralympic venues to sell out – a stark contrast to the vacant grandstands in Japan.
A Paralympic sport since Atlanta 1996 and the only artistic sport at the Paralympic Games, the competition program includes the Individual Championship Test, the Team Test set to music (in which riders perform a set routine) and the Individual Freestyle test (which is unique to each rider, as they choose their own routine and music). Individual Freestyle is open to the top eight athletes from each class based on the results of the Individual Test.
Athletes are judged on the accuracy and quality of their riding, their horse’s behaviour in gaits and halts, artistic finesse, and other aspects of their performance. All events are mixed, with all riders competing together across the five classes, and depending on their needs, riders can use special equipment like modified saddles, straps, and spurs.
By: Ashley Gillespie, Paralympics Australia
Published: 2 September 2024
With the storied Palace as a backdrop, the para-equestrian events will take place across four days (3, 4, 6 and 7 September) on the temporary outdoor arena on the Etoile Royal esplanade in the centre of the Palace’s gardens. Watch the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games on the 9Network and 9Now live and free, and on Stan Sport.
