Friday Video: Against All Odds, For the Love of Horses

I’ve taken a rather different sort of work trip this week and am writing this from the desert sun of Qatar, where I’m working as press liaison for the CHI Al Shaqab horse show. Under the bright lights of the capacious stadium, I’ve witnessed some extraordinary 5* sport – but actually, my real highlight of the competition so far has been getting my first opportunity to work on para dressage competition. Every athlete I’ve spoken to from across the grades has the most extraordinary stories to tell — from Grade IV US rider Kate Shoemaker, who evented as a teenager before taking up para-dressage due to white lesions that caused spasms and limited her motion through her right-hand side, to Grade I Dutch rider Annemarieke Nobel, whose limitations increased in the middle of the 2022 season, forcing a mid-summer Grade change and a whole new set of tests to work through (plus a brand new Freestyle to organise on next-to-no notice!). The horses, the riders, the teams around them have all lit up my brain with their inspiring, interesting stories of adaptability and tenacity — as well as sheer love of the horse. This short video features a rider I’ve not had the pleasure of meeting, but her story — and how she works with her physicality — will make you feel much the same, I think. This is why we do this.