Tag: para-dressage rider

Richard Neumann reflects on 2019 and is positive about 2020

Another belated post with apologies to Richard Neumann. The same thinking applied as to Mari’s 2019 recap and, for the same reason, I’ve decided to publish it now and save the further good news that I feel sure will follow this year for the new website!

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Wow as New Year’s Eve approaches maybe it’s time to reflect on the year. Where to start? The year started with great news after a bad 2018, we had the privilege of acquiring my new horse Otto, we spent the next three months getting a bit and saddle suitable for him, when we got him he had a few issues that needed to be dealt with.

When we had eventually sorted out the issue, I had surgery on a broken wrist that kept me out of action for four weeks, I returned to riding and working on the relationship we have, unfortunately I was then taken into hospital for the fourth and hopefully final operation from my injury, this kept me out for 9 weeks, on my return Otto decided the grass was greener on the other side and got his neck caught under a gate doing some muscle damage, this kept him out for 6 weeks.

At last I thought we can start to work his rehab was going ok when he cut his face playing in the field which required 12 stitches and 6 weeks rest, at last after this we could start working.

On the 1^st of December we started our campaign for the summer championships we attained 60% of the points needed on our first outing, we were so pleased we could see real progress, only to be advised three days later that because some paperwork was not correct I would have those points stripped, that really epitomises my year full of incredible highs and massive lows.

What has this year taught me, I have an amazing horse with incredible potential, I know we can compete and win, and we have a blank canvass for 2020, I see 2020 as an amazing opportunity to achieve my dreams and aspirations.

Bring on 2020 and always see every situation as a potential opportunity.

(Richard Neumann, Bader Grant Recipient and Para-Dressage Rider)

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Our thanks to Richard Neumann for his continued, thoroughly enjoyable updates, reports, videos and photographs. As you’ll see from the above, he and his lovely horse, Otto, have weathered their fair share of storms through 2019 and with this level of grit and determination we feel sure that 2020 bodes very well indeed. Keep watching this space!

An update from DBF Ambassador Mari as the 2020 Olympics draw ever closer. The competition is obviously hotting up and, as ever, Mari is finding ways to enable herself and her equine teammates, Sky and Bear, to give their best performances, and getting very promising results as you will see. With her inspiring determination and commitment, not to mention ingenuity, we feel sure that she will reach her goal and be competing for Team GB in 2020. 

We wish her continued success with her preparations. 

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As Tokyo is fast approaching yesterday marked 300 days to go my aim is to campaign both horses; with selection officially starting next year (still awaiting selection policy).

The last few major competitions with Bear have not gone to plan for one reason or another. He has qualified for the Winter Para Dressage Championships in just two outings. He also has two scores over 73% in the team and Individual test. Bear has shown people his potential and we have had some very positive feedback.

The British Dressage Nationals was Bears first major show there is nowhere else that has the same atmosphere as the Nationals not even the Europeans. Bear was a really good boy but got a bit tense and a jog cost us the win; we still came 2^nd!

Then onto Keysoe CPEDI3* Bear did three super tests and we were all delighted with him and the work we produced; sadly the judges didn’t agree. But that’s dressage for you and the subjective nature!

Due to my Ataxia I find having a stable contact and keeping my hands still extremely hard but we were really marked down on this at Keysoe.  So we have worked really hard and found a way that seems to be able to stabilise my hands and as a result Bear is a lot happier and walking out so much more as he has stable connection to walk into. I just need to get the classifiers to agree the adaption and then we will go out into competition and see what the judges think.

I took Sky to a local competition it was a winter qualifier but he has already qualified as he has a bye from competing at the Europeans. He felt on top form and scored 72.5% to take the win beating a triple Paralympian on both of her horses!! A great way to start our campaign with even more to come.

(Mari Durward-Akhurst, Para-Dressage Rider and Inspirational Speaker)

 

 

We’ve received some excellent news from our lovely new Ambassador and erstwhile Bader Grant Recipient of the Month, para-dressage rider Mari Akhurst.

Mari who has been digging deep into reserves of strength and determination recently when the worsening of some of her symptoms threw up some new challenges for her including the recommendation of a wheelchair (*still waiting for a name, all you creative folk out there!) to enable her to retain maximum independence. True to form, Mari has displayed huge courage to carry on with her training and practice and now her refusal to be beaten has been rewarded handsomely.

When people tell me I won’t be able to do something I like to prove them wrong. Mari Akhurst

This very talented dressage rider, whose goal has long been to represent Team GB in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics,  was thrilled to be selected, against all odds, with 4-legged teammate Sky to represent GB abroad at Waregem CPED13* in Belgium in April.

As she says, this will be a big step on her campaign journey towards the Para Europeans. While Sky is currently getting the rewards, it clearly won’t be long before Mari’s very handsome young horse, Bear, will be hot on his hoofsteps. Mari’s hard work and training with Bear are really beginning to pay off now and his enormous and undoubted potential is finally being recognised. It all bodes very well for the future.

As precursor to this news, Team Mari and Sky had pulled off great performances in the Winter Para Dressage Gold Championships at Myerscough, Lancashire, returning at the end of February. You can read her report below.

Update from the Winter Para Dressage Gold Championships: 

We arrived back from the Winter Para Dressage Gold Championships late last night; a very long weekend!!

The first day we took the win and topped the class with a 70%+ score; lots of point towards the Gold Semi Finals.

In the championship test the judge at E gave us a score of 70% and had us in the lead by several marks. For me this is a pretty big achievement as being on the side they can pick up on a lot more things that the C judge cannot see. Sadly the C judge had other ideas and only gave us 66% which pulled our score down massively. So I finished 3rd less than .5 behind 2nd; the top 3 were very close!!