Aberystwyth University Student achieves national and international Para-Equestrian success

Paula Clark

Aberystwyth University student Paula Clarke has been successfully competing on IBERS’s horses in Para-Equestrian Dressage competitions at national and international level since 2007.
Paula, who resides in Ceredigion, has been studying Art and Ceramics at Aberystwyth University’s School of Education and lifelong Learning since 2007. Together with the support of the staff from IBERS’ Lluest Equine Centre, Paula continues to achieve outstanding results in numerous Para-Equestrian Dressage competitions nationwide.

With a background as a riding instructor who ran a riding school with her parents in Carno, Powys before being diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome some eleven years ago, Paula was an accomplished rider and refused to let her growing mobility and hearing issues stop her from realising her competition hopes. When told that her own horse was not up to the standard required for higher calibre competitions, Paula was approached by Dr Carol Green, previously the IBERS Para Representative, who recognised her potential and took on her training.

Having been initially allocated IBERS horse ‘Foxy Lady’ Paula was selected for the prestigious Hartpury Dressage Competition by BHS Fellow Jane Goldsmith. However, Foxy Lady later fell pregnant and Paula was forced to enter the competition on new horse ‘4Sox’, with only eight weeks of training; despite this she gave a solid performance and achieved an impressive 60% average in dressage. Overcoming obstacles seems to be nothing new for Paula who explains that the main difficulties she experiences on a daily basis are extreme fatigue, instability of her joints, body tremors and partial hearing.

Paula’s competition successes include: two 1st places in the Lluest Equine Para Winter Qualifier, 1st and 2nd in the Home Farm Para Hickstead Qualifier, 4th and 5th in the Patchetts Equestrian Centre’s Para Hickstead Qualifier, 2nd in the Hartpury Winter Championships and three preliminary tests in Aberystwyth where she has secured a 1st, 2nd and a 4th place. Most recently Paula competed at Chepstow on the 6th July and then at Hartpury on the 13th July on IBERS’ horse ‘Hope’. Hannah Titley, a Practical Instructor at IBERS’ Lluest Equine Centre said “Paula did very well. She was in the middle of the class which was good as there were a lot of countries/competitors there trying to get their Olympic qualification. She was 14th in the Team test and 15th in the Individual championship test out of a class of 23. We are all really happy with the results considering that Hope (the horse) is only young, she coped really well with the atmosphere, which is fantastic for the future.”

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