The art of Para equestrian matchmaking: How riders find their perfect, adaptable “dance” partners
Exactly nine years to the day that Roberta Sheffield opened her competition at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, on 3 September, the Canadian Para equestrian rider stood in a country field scoping out a herd of horses.
As the animals trotted past her, one in particular made her heart flutter.
"I found her in a field of about 100 other horses, and I bought her and her sister on an almost buy-one-get-one-free deal," Sheffield told Olympics.com. "From a herd of horses that were all unhandled, untouched. And she had no name, and I literally had to stand in the field and go, 'I'll have that one and that one' as they rushed past us."
It turned out to be a perfect match.
The 15-year-old mare Fairuza, also known as Wonky, carried Sheffield to a best-ever finish across her three Paralympic Games – sixth place in the individual event - grade II – not letting the spectators nor the regal backdrop of Chateau de Versailles intimidate her.
"I have such a special relationship with that horse that when we go on the sand, there is almost a gladiatorial feeling that we fight together against the world," Sheffield said. "We are in this bubble together. We are taking on the challenge of doing that dressage test. Nothing else matters. It is this wonderful feeling of partnership."
Aside from Wonky’s gladiator attitude and dapper trot, what Sheffield values most in her horse is how well she has adapted to her impairment. It is a sense of love and gratitude that other Para equestrian riders share when it comes to their own equine partners.
Olympics.com spoke to a handful of Paralympians to discover what love at first sight looks like from an equestrian point of view, how the riders teach their horses to adapt to their individual riding techniques, and why a horse is the best friend to have on a bad day.
Finding “the one” in the equestrian world
The appaloosa gelding El Colorado was a pop of colour in a sea of bay and chestnut horses at the Paris 2024 Para equestrian competition. From the moment he trotted out on the Chateau de Versailles grounds, an admiring ripple of 'oohs' and 'aahs' spread through the stands as the spectators leaned in to take in the beautiful spotted coat.
His rider, Canada’s Jody Schloss, understands what all the fuss is about. She was among El Colorado’s first admirers when she bought him in March 2023.
"He was the first horse I tried, and he was so good," Schloss said. "I was like, 'I want this horse', and my coach said, 'We can’t buy the first horse you see.' So, we went to Florida and looked at a lot more, and I was like, 'I want El Colorado.'"
Canadians Sheffield and Schloss are not the only ones swooning over their horses. While love at first sight is not a common occurrence in daily life, when it comes to the equestrian world, it is often how the best matches are made.
Just ask six-time Paralympic medallist Pepo Puch who gushed about his 16-year-old gelding Sailor’s Blue after finishing fifth in the individual event - grade II at Paris 2024.
"We met, and it was love in the first second," the Austrian rider said. "The connection was really quick."
USA's Rebecca Hart took just a bit more time to get used to her horse Floratina when she started riding her a year ago. A couple of nudges, a short conversation, and Hart was sure this was the horse to take to her fifth Paralympic Games.
"You just get a feeling," she explained. "Normally with a Para horse it takes some time for them to get used to a disability because they're so used to an able-bodied rider. And so, when I sit on them, I want to ask them questions and see what their response is. And they don't have to give me the right response right away, but just give me an answer. And she went, 'Is this right?' And I said, 'No, not quite'. And then she's like, 'How about this?' She's like, 'Oh, is that what you need?' And never again do we have to have a conversation. She just goes, 'Got it, no problem'. She is one in a million."
Floratina is not only a horse who is one in a million, but also a golden one. The 16-year-old mare helped Hart win the individual event - grade III at Paris 2024, which was the first gold and individual medal at a Paralympic Games for the USA rider.
USA's Rebecca Hart won gold with Floratina in the individual event - grade III at Paris 2024.
Horse x Para equestrian rider: Best friend on a bad day
Rixt van der Horst came second in the individual event - grade III. Like Hart, who she shared the podium with, it was crucial for the Dutch rider to see how her horse would adapt to her disability before deciding if it was the one.
"You know it from minute one. You sit on him and you know, you click, and you just feel that, OK, this is good," van der Horst said. "The character is so important and also how he's coping with your disability. I have a lot of muscle stiffness, so I'm a little bit pushing and there's always a question of how the horse will cope with it, but with Fonq it went really well from the beginning. We clicked immediately."
Van der Horst, who has a neuromuscular condition called spastic diplegia, says Royal Fonq has also been a standout horse for how he supports her in the more difficult times, performing extra duties when needed.
"He's really helping me when I have a bad day. He's picking it up instead of working against me," she said. "You have horses that are going to be more difficult when you are not in a good shape, but Fonq is really always trying his best and trying to do all he can do and that's so special."
Germany’s Heidemarie Dresing has multiple sclerosis, which means her state can change throughout the day. She usually feels best in the mornings, but tends to get tired later on. Her horse Dooloop is there to catch her when she is having a difficult time.
"He feels it a little bit because I'm not so straight. I'm like this," Dresing said, imitating a slumped posture. "He helps me."
Puch, who competed at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games before a 2008 riding accident left him with incomplete paraplegia, also counts on his horse to perk him up in the saddle when control is slipping from him.
"If I get out of balance in the seat, if I'm not in the middle, he goes under me and tries to to bring me to the right balance," Puch said. "That's the nice thing. Our horses are really helping us to compensate for our problems. That's the great thing about the horse."
Austria's Pepo Puch rode Sailor's Blue in his fourth Paralympic Games appearance.
Adapting to a rider's unique technique
USA’s Fiona Howard was an accomplished rider in her youth before a series of health problems pushed her to the brink of survival. The bulk of these came during her time as an undergraduate university student. She spent 800 days in hospital while working on her degree and was eventually diagnosed with dystonia, a degenerative condition that causes muscle spasms in the legs and trunk.
She also experienced problems with her digestive system due to lyme disease and scarlet fever and needed to have a part of her lower intestine removed.
Brain surgery and limb amputation were suggested to Howard as options. Instead of taking these, she went back to horses.
Due to her unique mobility, Howard uses the saddle more than her legs – not a typical riding technique, but her 11-year-old stallion Diamond Dunes was happy to adjust. The pair have been competing together since March 2024.
"He adapted really quickly," Howard said. "When I first rode him, he was a little bit like, 'What are you trying to do?' And he tried to always do the right thing. And then after two or three rides, he was like, 'I got it'. I just have to try and shift my weight a little bit, and he responds. Sometimes, I have to really focus on being straight so we can ride in a straight line, like on the centre lines, but he's such a quick learner and he just really wants to try his best for me."
On the opening day of Para equestrian competition at Paris 2024, Diamond Dunes' "best" included boosting Howard to a gold medal in the individual event - grade II.
"My horse, he gave me everything," the first-time Paralympian said. "From the first competition I did with him, I just felt I could trust him and he's never let me down. I felt confident, and he was 100 percent the best partner I could ask for at these Games."
Denmark’s Katrine Kristensen, who took silver behind Howard, also found an understanding partner in her horse Goerklintgaards Quarter.
The rider has weakness in her legs and feet due to muscular dystrophy, which makes guiding a horse more difficult. It was not a problem for Quarter, a horse she has worked with for two and a half years, who has learned to follow other cues instead.
"Quarter is a small horse so for me, when I didn't have so much physical strength, then I can guide him because his body is small," Kristensen said. "I can use my whips instead of my legs, and he can feel it all over the body."
Katrine Kristensen carried the Danish flag at the Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games and took silver in the individual event - grade II just under a week later.
Australia’s Bridget Murphy was also looking for a small horse to compete with when making her Paralympic debut at Paris 2024.
She found her perfect partner in Penmain Promise, who measures 13 hands and is the shortest pony at Paris 2024. A hand is about 10 centimetres and competition horses tend to be between 16 and 17 hands.
Herself smaller in stature than the other riders, Murphy trained the seven-year-old mare, known as Macey in the stalls, to be her best ally in competitions.
"I was actually the second person to ever ride her and she's been with me since," said Murphy who finished seventh in the individual event - grade II. "Because I got her when she was so young, it's really all she knows, so I've just moulded her to what I need and it's just been amazing. She hasn't asked twice. You tell her once and she gets it, and off we go."
More than a horse, a window to possibility
Finland’s Katja Karjalainen relies on her horse even more than the other riders. The 16-year-old gelding Kameo that she has worked with for a year is not only her legs as for the other riders, but in some ways also her eyes.
Karjalainen, who has almost full vision loss, has created a special language with her coaches to receive instructions when she is on the field of play.
Her coach yells out a letter to tell her which part of the test she is in, Karjalainen explained to Olympics.com. The first time tells the rider when she is approaching the area, the second tells her she is getting closer, and the last is to tell her when she has reached the mark where she needs to turn.
Shortly after Karjalainen's test in the individual event - grade I, Latvia's Rihards Snikus and King of the Dance went into the arena, and kept the spectators mesmerised with their wordless bond. Snikus also competed with this 16-year-old gelding at Tokyo 2020 where the pair took two silver medals. At Paris 2024, it was gold for Snikus and a warm hug from the grateful rider for his equine friend.
The readiness of horses like Kameo and King of the Dance to adapt to different impairments often strikes able-bodied riders when they are offered a casual trot on one of them.
The horse Sheffield has purchased on love at first sight from a field of 100 is a prime example.
"Wonky is incredibly good at filling in the gaps that are created by my condition,” said Sheffield, who has rheumatoid arthritis. “She's naturally so sensitive and she is so forward, and when able-bodied riders ride her, they're usually blown away by how sensitive and switched on she is to the rider because you never have to ask her something twice. She's always trying to get ahead of what you ask her to do. She almost takes offense if she's not managed to work it out just on your thought.
"For me, she's a super nice ride because I don't have to use any strength. All I have to do is sit quietly on her and be as clear in my thoughts and my intention as possible, and she will read it as best she possibly can. And she always tries so hard. She is just the most amazing partner. She would go through fire for you."