Sharing an article written by resident Blue Hill Farm team member Lisa Thomas, written for Wellington Equestrian Realty. Article below.
Rebecca Hart on Romani. Photo by Lindsay McCall
Last week in Katy, Texas the USEF High Performance Para-Equestrian
Dressage National Championships wrapped up with yet another year of
solid performances by all of the para-equestrians who attended. The
USPEA (United States Para-Equestrian Association) is a recognized
affiliate of the USEF (United States Equestrian Federation), providing
opportunities for training, clinics and competitions on an international
stage for riders with disabilities. The USPEA seeks to offer those
riders who became exposed to horses through therapeutic riding programs
the opportunity to take their equestrian pursuits to the competitive
level.
Para-Dressage divisions are classified by Grades according to
disability, and the USPEA has seen growth in the para-equestrian sport
with the number of riders tripling over the past several years. Since
recognized USDF para competitions are not as readily available as
able-bodied events, most USDF able bodied competitions offer
para-equestrians the opportunity to ride and compete, earning points
towards national championships.
The High Performance and National Championships just recently
concluded in Katy, Texas and all of USA’s High Performance
para-equestrian’s were in attendance. Across all the grade divisions a
total of 15 riders were in attendance, competing on 19 horses. Rebecca
Hart garnered her 7th High Performance National Championship title
aboard Schroeter’s Romani.
Below is an excerpt from the recent USPEA’s Championship press release:
“Katy, Texas – November 3, 2015
– Accomplished Grade II athlete Rebecca Hart once again took home the
USEF Para-Equestrian Dressage High Performance National Championship
aboard Shroeter’s Romani. Hart maintained the lead over a large field of
competitors at the 2015 Championship earning the Leading Athlete award.
She also topped the ranks of Grade II in the Katy, Texas CPEDI3* event.
Hart is a two-time Paralympian (2008, 2012) and two-time World
Equestrian Games athlete (2010, 2014). Annie Peavy earned the 2015 USEF
Para-Equestrian High Performance Dressage Reserve Championship with Ozzy
Cooper, owned by Rebecca Reno.
“In addition to winning the High Performance Championship
and earning the Leading Athlete Award, Rebecca Hart and Romani topped
the Grade II CPEDI3*. The pair has been campaigning around the world
perfecting their tests and earning valuable feedback from judges across
Europe.”
In
our previous article
we featured para-equestrian Margaret McIntosh who traveled from her
home base at Blue Hill Farm in Unionville, Pennsylvania to compete at
the championships in Katy, Texas. Coached by Missy Ransehousen, an upper
level event rider, prior Pan American team member and 3 time paralympic
coach, McIntosh had high expectations from her own Rio Rio for the
National Championships in the Grade 1a. This pair had success by winning
their CPEDI3* Individual Test, but the travel to Texas and great shift
in climate from the hurricane in Mexico had it’s impact on her final
test. Rio Rio, although exceptionally well trained and prepared for this
event, had a typical horse moment, demonstrating that even para horses
are prone to an occasional buck with weather changes. With only 2 riders
in her Grade 1a division, this sort of error immediately cost McIntosh a
second win.
Bolstering The High Performance Numbers For The USPEA
McIntosh’s division wasn’t the only one with a low number of entries.
With several of the high performance divisions only having a few
entries, one questions why participation is low at high performance
level in the Para-Equestrian championships. A call to the president of
the USPEA, Hope Hand, revealed several reasons why the championships
waned in numbers.
“One of the biggest challenges to increasing the number of riders at
competitions is, of course, the cost associated with sourcing
appropriate mounts and funding the travel to compete at national horse
shows. Surprisingly, there actually isn’t a shortage of horses. We have
great horses, but we need to be able to raise funds to educate, provide
training and develop our newer para-riders so they can come up through
the ranks and compete in the high performance divisions.”
Hope Hand also commented that fund raising to provide training camps
and educational programs is one of the biggest challenges when seeking
to bolster the number of participants. “Our developing riders are young
and the learning curve to prepare these riders for this level of
competition is great. We need to raise money for training camps to
funnel more riders into the High Performance pipeline. The 15 riders who
competed in Texas represented our entire list of High Performance
Para-Equestrians. Everyone at that talent level was present.”
In speaking with Missy Ransehousen, she agrees that the challenges
lie with providing proper training for the developing riders. Rebecca
Hart who trained with Blue Hill Farm for years until moving to
Wellington, is a prime example of the hard work required to make it to
the top of the sport. “Becca has trained and dedicated herself to being a
competitive para-equestrian for the past decade. She dominates the
sport because she has trained hard and has made personal sacrifices to
get to where she is within the sport.”
Hart has relocated to Wellington, Florida and is currently training with
Todd Flettrich,
who was also trained and mentored earlier in his career by Jessica
Ransehousen, Missy’s mother and 3 time Olympian. Hart flourished through
her previous coaching experience with the Ransehousens, and by
relocating to Wellington to train full time with Flettrich, has every
tool for success. Through the generous backing of Margaret Duprey and
Cherry Knoll Farm, William and Sandy Kimmel, Barbara Summer and Hart’s
other supporters, she will continue to be competitive on the
international stage.
Adequan Global Dressage Festival Announces Expanded CPEDI Para-Equestrian Tour!
Annie Peavy and Ozzy Cooper. Photo by Lindsay Y. McCall
Just in time for the 2016 season,
Jennifer Wood Media circulated this encouraging press release regarding a generous donation for the upcoming season in Wellington.
“The Adequan® Global Dressage Festival is very excited to host an
expanded tour for the para-equestrian riders in 2016,” stated Thomas
Baur, Director of Sport for AGDF. “Wellington is home to some of the
best equestrian competition in the world, and we hope to continue to
grow the sport and welcome more great competitors each year. This year
is especially important as riders prepare for the 2016 Olympic Games and
Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. We look forward to hosting
the world’s top horses and riders as they build up to those important
championships.
“Mission Control, an advertising company owned by Ed
Peavy and Rebecca Reno, is one of the four presenting sponsors of CPEDI
competition at this year’s AGDF. In 2015, Mission Control presented two
small tour CDI shows, and for 2016, Rebecca Reno has been a driving
force in expanding the CPEDIs. The couple began sponsoring the sport in
support of their daughter, Annie, who is a Grade III Para-Dressage
rider.
“Annie Peavy was recently named reserve champion in the CPEDI 3* High
Performance division at the 2015 USEF Para-Equestrian Dressage National
Championships. She and champion Rebecca Hart, along with many other top
Para-Dressage competitors, look forward to competing in Wellington this
winter as they prepare for the 2016 Paralympic Games. Peavy trains with
Heather Blitz, who is a well-known competitor on the AGDF circuit each
season.”
Join Us In Raising Awareness of the USPEA and Their Para-Equestrians
Riders at the 2014 CPEDI at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival. Photo by Lindsay Y. McCall
It’s now time to see what we can do to help other riders dedicate the
time and raise their level of training so we can develop other talented
para-equestrians to compete at this level!
The international para-dressage athletes will be competing at the
Adequan Global Dressage Festival in Wellington, Florida, January 7-10
and 21-24, 2016 and their riders need our help. If you will be in
Wellington this January, please come out to show your support and to
watch these competitors in action. The USPEA together with the USEF
(United States Equestrian Federation) will be hosting fundraising events
in the Wellington area and we will certainly post that information once
the details have been finalized.
In the interim, please learn more about the
USPEA
(United States Para Equestrian Association) through their website,
consider making a donation to this developing discipline and come out to
support them in Wellington this upcoming January!
