A poised, balanced canter by Angela Peavy on Ozzy Cooper at the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. Credit: SusanJStickle.com.
CAEN, NORMANDY, August 27, 2014 – There’s quite of bit of interplay between the para-dressage and the able-bodied dressage communities.
Not only do many trainers coach both able-bodied and para-dressage students, some para-equestrians compete in the able-bodied divisions as well.
Take Angela “Annie” Peavy, for instance. The eighteen-year-old from Avon, Conn. is at the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games competing as an individual in the Grade III para-equestrian dressage division. But in three weeks, she’ll be at the New England Dressage Association Fall Festival and the Great American/USDF Region 8 Dressage Championships in Saugerties, N.Y., contesting the (able-bodied) FEI Juniors.
Peavy’s trainer is Heather Blitz, who with her horse Paragon was the reserve rider for the US dressage squad at the 2012 London Olympic Games.
“I train in Boston with her. I’ve been with her for a year and a half,” Peavy said of Blitz. And at the WEG Peavy is getting a two-fer: not only Blitz but also one of Blitz’s coaches, the international clinician and author Mary Wanless (Ride with Your Mind), are in Caen assisting the young para-equestrian, Peavy said.
Peavy is the first para-equestrian Blitz has coached, and “I’ve learned so much from her,” Peavy said. “She’s good at keeping me focused in the show ring.”
Blitz doesn’t cut her student any slack, either. “Heather trains me how she would train any other of her students. If I can’t do something with my left side, she’ll figure out another way.” (The left side of Peavy’s body is affected by cerebral palsy.)
Blitz, who lived and trained in Denmark for many years, also found Peavy’s two current mounts there: her 2014 WEG mount, Ozzy Cooper; and Lancelot Warrior, a twelve-year-old Hanoverian gelding (Londonderry x Waroness), both owned by Rebecca Reno. Peavy has been paired with both horses since January, she said.
Although Lancelot Warrior outscored Ozzy Cooper at the US WEG selection trials, when the gelding sustained a corneal ulcer the decision was made that Ozzy Cooper would go to Normandy instead. Ozzy Cooper is an eight-year-old Trakehner gelding (Hibiskus x Arrak)-and yes, he’s named for heavy-metal rock stars Ozzy Osbourne and Alice Cooper, Peavy said.
“I asked his old owner” about the name, Peavy said. As a young horse he was called Orca, but the owner disliked the name and rechristened him, she said.
Peavy was attracted to Ozzy Cooper’s “wanting to go, and his work ethic, and his gaits. His attitude – he has a great mind, very steady,” she said.
These 2014 Games are Peavy’s first world championships. “It’s amazing,” she said. “The venue is beautiful. It’s an experience like no other.”
Today, in the Grade III Individual test, Peavy earned a respectable score of 63.561%.
“I thought it went really well,” she said afterward. “He was really focused with me, and more energetic and powerful. I was more relaxed than the first day. We were in our own little bubble.”
Riding and competing as a para-equestrian is “definitely a great learning experience. It’s changed my life so much. It’s really fun,” Peavy said. She admitted that “It’s a lot of work; you’ll miss a lot of school.” The rising high-school senior returns from France to the U.S. this Saturday, and Monday – jet lag or no – she’ll be back in class.
Fellow US para-equestrian Sydney Collier, Ann Arbor, Mich., also competed today, scoring an impressive 68.103 percent in the Grade Ib Individual test for a ninth-place finish. Collier’s WEG mount is Willi Wesley, a fourteen-year-old Hessen gelding (Wolkenstein x Kokoschka) owned by Victoria Dugan.
By: Jennifer O. Bryant for the USPEA
Learn more about the Para-Dressage discipline at the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ in Normandy, France: http://www.normandy2014.com/the-disciplines/8/para-dressage.
Support the Team and its future to the 2016 Paralympics in Rio with the USET Foundation’s Jonathan Wentz Memorial Challenge: http://uspea.org/the-jonathan-wentz-memorial-challenge/.
Learn more about the U.S. Para-Equestrian Dressage discipline or give a tax-deductible donation to support the development of the sport with the USPEA 501(c)(3)t: www.USPEA.org.
About United States Para-Equestrian Association:
The USPEA is a network of riders, judges, national federation board members, and equestrian enthusiasts. The association gives athletes the ability to get involved and expand their knowledge and experience in the Para-Equestrian sport. The USPEA encourages para-athletes to participate in all disciplines under the para-equestrian umbrella.
The USPEA is a recognized affiliate of the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) which serves as the National Governing Body for the equestrian sport. This relationship between the USPEA and USEF is to encourage para-equestrian competitors, leisure riders, coaches, fans and enthusiasts to network and get involved with the entire equestrian sport.
Ultimately the goal of the USPEA is to foster growth in the para-equestrian discipline. From growth in the number of participants to growth as a team, and growth in the experience and knowledge of all involved. From local horse shows to international Olympic Games, the USPEA will provide para-equestrians the knowledge of what they need to succeed. The USPEA connects with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI), the United States Dressage Federation (USDF), and USEF which provides Para-Equestrians the top equestrian resources.
In June 2010, the USPEA earned its 501 (c)(3) status which has encouraged supporters to help supply funding to the Para-Equestrian Team as a recognized affiliate of the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF).
For more information about the USPEA, please visit www.USPEA.org or contact USPEA President Hope Hand by e-mail: Wheeler966@aol.com or by phone: (610)356-6481.