On track for Paralympic glory

Louise Jeffreys, who is a second year student on Hartpury College’s Equine Science Degree programme, is currently preparing for the first World Class Performance Selection Trials for the 2004 Paralympics.

The trial will take place at the Unicorn Centre, Stow-on-the-Wold on the 22 – 23 March 2001.

Louise, who has been riding since the age of two, has had considerablecompetition success despite being born with cerebral palsy.

Louise was well paced at last year¨s Riding for the Disabled Association’s (RDA) National Championships, as well as the National Dressage Championships in September where she was placed third in the RDA section.

Louise rides a 15.1hh bay mare Charlott, who is on loan to her by Maureen Smith from Somerset.

The overriding aim for the World Class Performance Trials is to select a squad who with the correct training and competition opportunities would be able to form a medal winning squad for Athens 2004.

If Louise is selected at the trial in March, she will then undergo a six-monthly review to ensure that she is meeting her equestrian competition goals. In addition, there will also be at least one further selection trial in each calendar year with extra trials as 2004 approaches.

Louise said: “I am extremely excited about this selection trial and I am grateful for Hartpury College’s sponsorship towards my costs for attending the trial. My ambition is to compete at the 2004 Paralympics, but also to complete my BSc (Hons) Equine Science degree and to then progress onto the MSc Equine Science programme at Hartpury”.