Lauren Barwick

Last updated

Lauren Barwick
Personal information
Born (1977-09-12) 12 September 1977 (age 46)
Langley, British Columbia
Height174 cm (5 ft 9 in)
Weight61 kg (134 lb)
Sport
CountryCanada
SportPara-equestrian
Achievements and titles
Highest world rankingfirst
Medal record
Paralympic Games
Para-equestrian
Representing Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2008 Beijing Individual Freestyle – Mixed
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2008 Beijing Individual Championship – Mixed
Updated on 20 August 2014.

Lauren Barwick (born 12 September 1977 at Langley, British Columbia) is a member of the Canadian Equestrian Team, in grade II Para-Dressage, who has competed in the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Paralympic Games. [1] She won three medals in those games. Barwick has featured in CBC's Heartland and has several awards.

Contents

Personal life

Lauren Barwick was born on 12 September 1977 in Langley, British Columbia. She worked at a place that supplied horses to movie shoots. [2] She now lives in Reddick, Florida. She is classified as Grade II which means she is paralysed from the waist down. Before she was paraplegic, she also enjoyed cross country running and skiing. She says she dreamed of working with horses in the movies. [3] Barwick became paralysed as a result of a ranch accident. In 2000, a 75 kg hay stack fell on her as she worked in the barn. [4] She said, "It was an ordinary accident, but an accident that could have been prevented." [2] After being rushed to the hospital, she was told her back was broken. Soon after, she was parasailing and riding horses again. [2]

Barwick was featured as a stunt double on the Canadian TV series Heartland as a special guest. She always wanted to be in a film. She said, "Looking at how easy it would have been for Heartland to hire an actor to ride a horse around and pretend to be paralyzed made the experience of having me there even more special." [5]

Lauren has 1 child named Viola.

Career

This was Barwick's second appearance at the Paralympics. Her first Paralympics was in 2004 in Athens and she did not make the podium. In 2008, she won two medals, a gold in the Individual Freestyle with a score of 72.7766% and a silver in the Individual Championships. These victories were both with the horse Maile. She said, "All my friends, family, team members, and sponsors have allowed me the opportunity to succeed...But most importantly, I have had the honour to ride a horse with a lot of heart." [1] [6]

In the 2012 Paralympics, Barwick did not win any. She got eighth at the Open Equestrian Competition on Off to Paris with her partner Ashley Gowanlock on Maile. The pair scored 72.095% leaving them with eighth place. She was very impressed with their results. "The ring had a lot of energy, but given the circumstances, my horse went really well today," she said. [7] [8]

In 2014, Barwick competed at the International FEI competition in Moorsele from April 25–27. She won the Grade II freestyle and individual tests with scores of 73.086% and 79.150% respectively. She was very pleased with the results saying "Today our better was our best! The saying 'less is more' was exactly what we did, and it paid off." [9] [10] At the 2014 FEI World Equestrian Games, Barwick won a silver medal and a bronze medal in Individual para-dressage freestyle test grade II and Individual para-dressage championship test grade II respectively. She got a score of 76.250% for the silver and a score of 70.914% for the bronze. [11] [12]

Horses

Barwick currently has two horses, Off to Paris and Ferdonia 2. Equine Canada's Off to Paris is a 13-year-old Oldenburg mare. She also has her own mare, Ferdonia 2, a 15-year-old Oldenburg. Off to Paris is her horse to use in international competitions provided by Equine Canada. [13]

Rankings

According to the Federation Equestre International (FEI), Barwick is ranked as the number one para-equestrian rider in the world as of 27 May 2014. The rankings were formed with results from 1 January – 30 April 2014 [14]

Achievements

Barwick has been awarded 4 awards:

She has also appointed Equine Canada’s official Spokesperson for Horse Week 2009. She has also been selected as a torchbearer for the 2010 Olympic Games. [15]

In 2015, Barwick was inducted into the Canadian Disability Hall of Fame. [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laurentia Tan</span> Singaporean Paralympic equestrienne, born 1979

Laurentia Tan Yen Yi BBM PBM, is a Singaporean para-equestrian competitor. Tan developed cerebral palsy and profound deafness after birth, and moved to the United Kingdom with her parents at the age of three. She took up horse riding aged five years as a form of physiotherapy. She subsequently completed her A-levels at the Mary Hare Grammar School, a residential special school for the deaf, and graduated with an honours degree from Oxford Brookes University in hospitality management and tourism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laura Tomlinson</span> German-British dressage rider

Laura Tomlinson MBE is a German-British dressage rider competing at Olympic level. As of 30 June 2012 the Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI) ranked her 3rd in the world riding Mistral Højris and 36th on Andretti H. In that year, Tomlinson, riding Mistral Højris under her maiden name of Laura Bechtolsheimer, won two medals in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London; gold for Great Britain in the team dressage with Carl Hester and Charlotte Dujardin, the first ever Olympic team gold in the discipline for her country, and bronze in the individual dressage behind gold medalist and compatriot Dujardin.

Simon Laurens is a British Para-equestrian who competed at the 2008 Summer Paralympics, held in Beijing, China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joann Formosa</span> Australian equestrian

Joann Formosa, is an Australian Para-equestrian, who won a gold medal at the 2012 London Paralympics.

Para-equestrian classification is a system for para-equestrian sport is a graded system based on the degree of physical or visual disability and handled at the international level by the FEI. The sport has eligible classifications for people with physical and vision disabilities. Groups of eligible riders include The sport is open to competitors with impaired muscle power, athetosis, impaired passive range of movement, hypertonia, limb deficiency, ataxia, leg length difference, short stature, and vision impairment. They are grouped into five different classes to allow fair competition. These classes are Grade I, Grade II, Grade III, Grade IV, and Grade V(Grade Names Changed as of Jan 2017). The para-equestrian classification does not consider the gender of the rider, as equestrines compete in mixed gender competitions.

Para-equestrian is an equestrian sport governed by the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI), and includes two competitive events: One is para-equestrian dressage, which is conducted under the same basic rules as conventional dressage, but with riders divided into different competition grades based on their functional abilities. The other is para-equestrian driving, which operates under the same basic rules as combined driving but places competitors in various grades based on their functional abilities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michèle George</span> Belgian Paralympic equestrian

Michèle George is a Paralympic equestrian of Belgium. She won two gold medals at the 2012 Summer Paralympics, a gold and one silver at the 2016 Summer Paralympics, and another two gold medals at the 2020 Summer Paralympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sophie Wells</span> British para-equestrian

Sophie Wells is a British para-equestrian who won three medals at the 2012 Summer Paralympics, and 2 Golds and 1 Silver at the 2016 Rio Paralympics, and most recently Team Gold & Individual Silver at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natasha Baker</span> British para-equestrian

Natasha Louise Baker is a British para-equestrian who won 2 gold medals at the 2012 Summer Paralympics, 3 at the 2016 Summer Paralympics, and 1 more in the 2020 Summer Paralympics.

Deborah Criddle MBE is a British para-equestrian who won three gold medals at the 2004 Summer Paralympics and three medals at the 2012 Summer Paralympics.

Ricky Balshaw, is a British para equestrian rider who represented Britain in the Beijing 2008 Paralympics, winning the silver medal with Deacons Georgi. He also holds two world-championships and one European award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Equestrian Team</span>

The Canadian Equestrian Team or CET collectively describes the athletes that represent Canada at the highest levels of international equestrian competition, specifically at the World Championship, Olympic, and Paralympic levels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susan Seipel</span> Australian paracanoeist

Susan Seipel is an Australian Para-canoeist, a gold and bronze medallist in kayak and outrigger canoe at the 2015 and 2016 World Championships. She won a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Paralympics and a silver medal at the 2020 Summer Paralympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sharon Jarvis</span> Australian equestrian

Sharon Jarvis is an Australian para-equestrian. She represented Australia at the three Summer Paralympics - 2008 Beijing, 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angelika Trabert</span>

Dr. Angelika Trabert, is a German doctor and para-equestrian rider. She made her international debut in 1991, and went on to compete at five consecutive Summer Paralympics for her country, winning silver and bronze multiple medals. In addition, she was the 2009 European Champion in freestyle. Outside of the sport, she is an Anaesthetist who has worked internationally, including providing medical care in rural Africa.

Georgia Wilson is a British equestrian, who won bronze in the individual championship test grade II and individual freestyle test grade II events at the 2020 Summer Paralympics. She also won the individual championship grade II event at the 2019 FEI European Championships.

Suzanna Hext is a British Paralympic swimmer and equestrian, who won three gold medals in dressage at the 2017 FEI European Championships, and two medals at both the 2019 and 2023 World Para Swimming Championships. She finished fourth in two S5 swimming events at the 2020 Summer Paralympics.

Kate Shoemaker is an American Paralympic equestrian. She represented the United States at the 2020 Summer Paralympics.

Nathalie Bizet is a French Para-Equestrian Dressage rider. She won a bronze medal.

Britta Näpel is a German rider who competes in para-dressage riding. She has won a gold, four silver, and one bronze medals.

References

  1. 1 2 "Lauren Barwick – Canadian Paralympic Committee". Canadian Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 "Young Worker Accidents – Lauren's Story – Fri Aug 22, 2014". worksafebc.com. Archived from the original on 7 November 2014. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  3. ↑ Barwick, Lauren (30 March 2011). Riding for the Gold, Naturally: Lauren Barwick's Incredible Journey. Createspace. ISBN   978-1453878583.
  4. ↑ "'Speechless' Barwick wins equestrian gold" . Retrieved 20 August 2014.
  5. ↑ "Canada's Double Paralympic Medalist Lauren Barwick to Star on CBC's Heartland". equinecanada.ca. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  6. ↑ "Lauren Barwick Claims Gold Medal at the 2008 Summer Paralympic Games". horse-canada.com. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  7. ↑ "Lauren Barwick and Ashley Gowanlock Open Equestrian Competition for Canada at 2012 Paralympics". therider.com. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  8. ↑ "Lauren Barwick and Ashley Gowanlock Earn Top Freestyle Scores for Canada at 2012 Paralympics". EMG. Archived from the original on 21 December 2014. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
  9. ↑ "Canadian Para-Equestrian Riders Earn Top Freestyle Placings At CPEDI 3* Moorsele". Canadian Paralympic Committee. 28 April 2014. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  10. ↑ "Canada win team para-equestrian event in Moorsele". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  11. ↑ "Another Medal for Canada's Lauren Barwick at the 2014 Games in Para-Dressage". SIRC. 30 August 2014. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  12. ↑ Equine Canada (29 August 2014). "Lauren Barwick Scores Canada's First Medal at the 2014 Games". Horse-Canada. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  13. ↑ "Canada's Lauren Barwick Ranked Number One Para-Dressage Rider in the World". Equestrian Connection. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  14. ↑ "Lauren Barwick is World's Top Para-Dressage Rider". horse-canada.com. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  15. 1 2 3 4 "Lauren Barwick Awarded the Inaugural Equine Canada's President's award". equinecanada.ca. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  16. ↑ "Canadian Paralympian Lauren Barwick awarded "Top Foreign Rider" at Hartpury Festival of Dressage CPEDI3*". paralympic.ca. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  17. ↑ "Previous Hall of Fame Inductees". Canadian Foundation for Physically Disabled Persons. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.