You may have seen some of our social media posts about our sponsored rider Amanda Shirtcliffe. Country & Stable have been sponsoring Amanda for a number of years now and have seen her develop into an International Para Athlete and gain a place on the World Class Squad. We would like to introduce you to Amanda Shirtcliffe Para Dressage Rider in more depth, read all about her below.

Tell us about your disability

I had been living with Dystonia for a number of years before I was officially diagnosed in 2012. Dystonia is an incurable, neurological movement disorder that causes uncontrollable and usually incredibly painful muscle spasms caused by incorrect signals from the brain. In some cases it can affect the whole body or just one limb. With me, both of my legs and my right arm are affected. Therefore, without my leg splints I’d be all over the place. My balance, coordination and motor skills are also affected. So everyday tasks can really be a chore when my limbs don’t play ball.

Introduce us to all your current horses

New-Princess (Princess Fiona). 16.1hh, Danish Warmblood, Mare. Princess by name and nature! A true dressage diva who will bang the stable door if her demands aren't met. Princess and I made our international debut in July 2016. Since then she has gone on to represent GBR in numerous CPEDI 3* competitions. Princess is an ultimate performer, I can always rely on her to produce a good test.

Remi (King Kevin). 16.2hh, Oldenburg, Gelding. Remi is a loveable rogue with a wicked sense of humour, if he were human he would definitely be the class clown! Training Remi has been tricky, he had all the gear and no idea. We competed in our first 3* in Qatar 2019 with good results. Remi is motivated purely by his love for food, he travels to each competition with his very own lunch box & treat tub - I dread the day we forget to pack it!

Active Testarossa (Tottie). 16hh, Oldenburg, Mare. Tottie is the young gun of my team and is an exciting prospect for the forthcoming years. She has had very limited competition exposure. She will be given time to develop and mature before making her debut on the international stage. Tottie is like a Labrador, she loves nothing more than a cuddle and an afternoon nap!

Who is your support team and what do they do?

The main member of my team is Louise Robson. Louise trains and takes care of the horses on a daily basis. Louise is also my competition groom and travels with me to all of my events. I have a fabulous support team comprising of vets, farrier, physio & saddler that work their magic behind the scenes to ensure the horses are kept in prime prancing condition. I also have my own terrific team of healthcare professionals based at Core Clinics in Warwickshire. It is important I travel to Core on a weekly basis for essential chiropractic, massage and sports therapy treatment to help keep me mobile and riding.

Explain all about para-dressage, how it works, what category you ride in?

Athletes are classified according to their disability across five grades, which determine the complexity of the movements that riders perform with their horses. Grade one is for athletes whose impairment has the greatest impact on their ability to ride, through to Grade five for athletes whose impairment has the least impact on their ability to ride. The grading ensures that the tests can be judged on the skill of the rider, regardless of their disability. However, riders may use permitted devices to assist them such as connecting rein bars, looped reins, and the like; visually impaired riders are permitted to use ‘callers’ to help them navigate around the arena.

I ride as a Grade 3, as a Para Dressage Rider these tests involve movements that are ridden at walk and trot only. Because of the impairment in my legs I ride without stirrups. My compensating aids allow me to use my voice and carry two whips to act as a back up aid to my legs. All of my horses are trained off the voice, Princess Fiona and Tottie respond almost instantly to my voice signals, whereas Kevin appears to have selective hearing!

What is your biggest achievement to date?

Without a shadow of a doubt I’d have to say being selected onto the Team GBR World Class Programme.

What have you been up to in 2019?

I’ve had an incredible season which kicked off in February with a win at the Winter BD Regionals. We then flew to Qatar in March where Remi competed and placed in his first ever international. April saw Princess compete and place in the BD Petplan finals & Belgium Para International.

From there on it’s been flat out with Remi & Princess competing in a further two Para Internationals. Both horses have shown huge improvements this season with Princess winning her latest international. Tottie's training has increased and she has completed in her first international. Things quieten down on the competition front towards the end of the year. Most importantly, the plan is to give the horses a well earned break before we kick off our Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Campaign in January next year.

What Amanda Shirtcliffe Para Dressage Rider goals and what you are doing in preparation to achieve these?

To sum up my ultimate goal is to represent Team GBR at a Paralympic, Europeans or World games (ideally all three would be great!). As athletes we are constantly striving with our horses to be the best that we can possibly be. Above all, planning is key! Each horse has their own competition and training scheduled planned a good year or two in advance of a major games. Of course it doesn’t always run smoothly, horses get injured and my hospital appointments & treatment often throw a spanner in the works, so it’s advisable to have a Plan B, or in my case C & D!