Emma Sheardown – World Class Para Dressage Rider
I am a member of the World Class Para Dressage programme as a potential rider and my current goals are to represent Great Britain at the 2008 Paralympics and to medal at the 2012 London Paralympics. To help me achieve my goals I am very fortunate to have the sponsorship of CWG Ltd and I am really looking forward to working with them.
I am 21 years old and have cerebral palsy. All four limbs, my balance and co-ordination are affected. My disability means that I am profiled as a grade 1 rider. Para dressage riders are profiled on their physical disability and it has nothing to do with our ability to ride. Grade 1 riders like myself are those with the highest degree of disability, whilst the grade four riders have disabilities that maybe only affect part of their body, for example leg amputees.
I started riding aged four as an extension of physiotherapy but by the age of seven I was determined to actually learn to ride. This is when I started riding with Karen Thompson who still trains me today. As a young child I competed in RDA (Riding for the Disabled Association) working pony and rider competitions. By the time I was sixteen I wanted a bit more from my riding, this is when Karen introduced me to RDA dressage and I competed in my first competition via video due to the foot and mouth outbreak. The following year we were able to go out and compete, I entered the RDA regional qualifiers and qualified for the nationals which were held at Hartpury College in Gloucestershire. In 2003 I entered my first Para competition riding a riding school horse called Flicka and with her I was selected onto the World Class Potential Squad and was re-selected last year.
Having been re-selected onto the squad I was told that I needed a horse with international potential. I have one horse at the moment, a 10 year old dark bay thoroughbred gelding called Slightly Welton aka Spider. I have had Spider fifteen months now, when I bought him he had just come out of eventing as he couldn’t go any further in his career. His ability in the dressage arena with his fabulous walk made him the ideal partner for me. As a grade 1 rider all my tests are in walk, therefore it was vital that the horse had a ‘nine’ walk. During our first year together Spider and I have represented Great Britain on three occasions with some success. I only had Spider one month when we competed at our first international competition together, this was a Para competition which was held alongside Hartpury CDI***, here we came away with a first place & two second places. In September of last year, Spider & I were part of the GB team that competed in Moorselle, Belgium; here we were up against some of the top Para riders from other countries. We finished fourth and fifth.
This year has been quite a successful year as we were second in the winter championships back in March. I also competed for Great Britain in the Junior and Young Rider Para International held at Millfield School in Somerset as part of the Young Rider team. We finished first in the grade one classes on both days and came fifth overall on the first day and third overall on the second day. Spider went really well at Millfield! I was extremely pleased with our results.
I am extremely fortunate to have a fantastic team working with me to help me realise my goals. I have the full support of my parents, and my trainer gives up a lot of her time to accompany me to training sessions and competitions. I am also very lucky to have Nicky Webber who helps me with Spider twice a week, and also takes me to training or competitions if Karen is unable to accompany me.
I would like to thank CWG Ltd for agreeing to sponsor me in my Paralympic bid and I shall look forward to being part of the new ‘CWG Equi-Club’ and meeting you all.