LYMAN — As they lead horses around the arena in circular shapes, the disabled riders at Carlisle Academy this week have a different set of rings in mind: The multi-colored Olympic kind.
The Integrative Equine Therapy & Sports academy, located at Spring Creek Farm, is hosting an intensive training camp for para equestrians this week, an effort that marks a first for the nation. Never before has the United States developed an intensive program for disabled equestrians with a focus on international competition, according to organizers, and the 10 riders who are taking part all have their sights set on the gold. Three of them ”“ Mary Jordan of Wells, Barbara Adside of California and Dale Dedrick of Michigan ”“ have scores high enough to allow them to vie for a spot on the U.S. Paralympic Equestrian team, competing in dressage.
“We all have dreams and a disability,” said Jordan.
Dressage is the showmanship of a classically trained horse, which does not involve jumping. Horses are taught to walk, trot and canter in certain patterns, said Jordan. Olympic competitors will be judged in three competitions, one of which is freestyle with the requirement that certain techniques be completed during the performance, much like in figure skating.
The team has four slots, plus one alternate. Twenty-five people are expected to compete for those spots at selection trials June 10-13 in Gladstone, N.J. The competition this year shows how far the sport has come in four years: For the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, the first-time paradressage was showcased as a sport, there were just enough qualifiers to make a U.S. team, said Jordan.
Paralympic equestrian competitions will begin Aug. 30 in London. The Paralympics, which began in 1948 and is open only to those with specific physical disabilities, follows the 2012 Summer Olympic Games.
For Jordan, who rode in the 2010 Alltech World Equestrian Games, riding is a way to spread awareness “that those with physical disabilities can compete internationally.”
“When I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, they said, ”˜Prepare for your wheelchair,’” she said.
“The landscape has changed.”
While the disease has caused nerve damage to her hands and feet, as well as weakness on the left side of her body ”“ all of which affect her riding, said Jordan ”“ a combination of medicine, diet and exercise help stave off the symptoms so she can compete.
Adside, who is missing the lower part of her legs, said she got her first horse six years ago and quickly learned she had a knack for dressage. She first rode bareback and later modified a saddle with special leg straps for herself, after much trial and error.
“There is no saddle made for someone like myself,” she said.
Once, when she attempted to ride her horse while wearing her prosthetics, the horse turned around and flung them off, she said.
“Black Beauty hated ’em,” she said. “And I don’t blame him.”
On Wednesday, Adside could be found guiding Hanovarian mare Zoe around a ring, following the instructions of coach Hanneke Gerritsen, whose accented English cut through the arena.
Gerritsen, from Holland, is one of several experts brought in for the training camp. Jordan said it’s difficult to find appropriate coaching for paradressage in the states, and the idea for the camp was “born of necessity.”
The connection with Gerritsen was made one year ago, when she visited Carlisle for a two-day riding clinic, according to a statement from the academy. The academy, owned by Sarah and Nick Armentrout, offers hippotherapy and adaptive riding, but has recently expanded to include Paralympic training. Zoe was donated to the Paralympic program by rider Mary Giftos, who oversaw the horse’s training.
“She’s able to do what I can’t do ”“ give back,” said Giftos, who used to ride competitively but has been sidelined by illness. The opportunities for para-Olympians “give everybody hope ”“ and it’s contagious,” she said.
Hope Hand, president of the United States Para Equestrian Association, is another expert who is taking part in the
training camp.
“Our sport is seeing unprecedented growth after the last World Games, and this type of programming is distinctly needed for the riders and coaches,” Hand said in a written statement. “There is no other organization ”“ private or national ”“ that has taken this important next step in the way Carlisle has to better prepare our athletes.”
Those taking part in the camp are not only working on their technique ”“ they’re also focusing on stretching, sports massage for horses and athletes, equine nutrition and learning about topics such as sports psychology.
As well, in order to achieve their goals, the would-be Olympians are all seeking funding to help with the trip to New Jersey ”“ and hopefully to London.
“Fundraising and sponsorship is just as much a part of this as the training,” said Jordan. “It’s a critical component of the sport.”
For more information, visit carlisleacademymaine.com.
— Kristen Schulze Muszynski can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 322 or kristenm@journaltribune.com.
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