Medal record | ||
---|---|---|
Para-equestrian | ||
Representing United States | ||
Paralympic Games | ||
2024 Paris | Individual championship test grade III | |
2024 Paris | Individual freestyle test grade III | |
2024 Paris | Team |
Rebecca Hart (born October 26, 1984) is a para-equestrian from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Hart was born with a rare genetic disease, familial spastic paraplegia (FSP). FSP affected Hart as a child with difficulty gaining strength in her upper body as well as slowing down her motor development.
At the age of 10, Rebecca began horse riding. Just a few years later after attending the Paralympic movement in 1998 at a regional competition in Atlanta, Georgia, Hart realized that she would like to train for competition. That same year, 1998, Hart purchased her first horse.
Hart has been the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) National Para-Equestrian Champion six times; 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, and 2014. Hart made her first appearance at the Beijing Paralympics in 2008, competing with her horse Norteassa. She would go on to claim 4th place in freestyle at her first games.
She would go on to compete with Norteassa at the World Equestrian Games (WEG) in Lexington, KY, which would be her last competition with Norteassa. After Norteassa's retirement, she went on to ride Missy Ransehousen's Lord Ludger for the 2012 season. The 2012 season was a very successful one for Rebecca and ‘LoLu’, winning the Wellington Sunshine Classic CPEDI3* along with the 2012 National Para-Equestrian Championships. Winning these competitions is what named Rebecca and LoLu as members of the 2012 United States Paralympic Team, as well as naming Rebecca Team Captain. Rebecca went on to score the highest among all other U.S. team members at the 2012 London Paralympics.
Schroeter's Romani was purchased for Rebecca at the end of 2014. Together they were named the National Champions in 2014, along with being named to the 2014 World Equestrian Games in Normandy, France. Soon after Rebecca won the 2015 Global/Adequan CPEDI3* in Florida. [1]
Hart was born in Pittsburgh on October 26, 1984. She is 5' 5" and weighs 123 lbs. She attended Villa Maria Academy High School in Erie, PA and graduated in 2003. Her college was Pennsylvania State University, from which she graduated in 2009 with a degree in business. [2]
Hart has a Grade II classification in Paralympic sport and has competed in both individual and team dressage events. [3] She competed at the Summer Paralympics in 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2024. She won gold at the 2024 Summer Paralympics. [4] [5]
Hart was awarded the 2015 Travel & Training Fund Grant Recipient from The Women's Sports Foundation. [6]
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.
Anne Patricia Dunham OBE is a British Para-equestrian who has competed in the Paralympic Games.
Sophie Margaret Christiansen, CBE is an English equestrian who has competed in four successive Paralympic Games. In 2012 and 2016 she gained three gold medals at the Paralympics. In 2008 she won two gold medals and a silver at the Beijing Paralympics whilst studying for a master's degree in mathematics at Royal Holloway, University of London. She works as a software developer at investment bank, Goldman Sachs and as a disability campaigner. She qualified for the postponed 2020 Summer Paralympics but had to drop out due to her horse not being fit.
Julie Elizabeth Higgins, OAM is an Australian equestrian rider who won two gold medals at the 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney.
Joann Formosa, is an Australian Para-equestrian, who won a gold medal at the 2012 London Paralympics.
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.
Olivia Breen is a Welsh Paralympian athlete, who competes for Wales and Great Britain mainly in T38 sprint and F38 long jump events. She qualified for the 2012 Summer Paralympics and was selected for the T38 100m and 200m sprint and was also part of the T35-38 women's relay team. She has also represented Wales at the 2014, 2018 and 2022 Commonwealth Games winning gold in the F38 Long Jump in 2018 and gold in the T37/38 100m in 2022.
Michèle George is a Paralympic equestrian of Belgium. She won seven gold and one silver medal at the Paralympic Games.
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 and Individual Silver at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.
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.
Lauren Barwick is a member of the Canadian Equestrian Team, in grade II Para-Dressage, who has competed in the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Paralympic Games. She won three medals in those games. Barwick has featured in CBC's Heartland and has several awards.
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Sharon Jarvis is an Australian para-equestrian. She represented Australia at the three Summer Paralympics - 2008 Beijing, 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo.
Emma Booth is an Australian Paralympic equestrian. She represented Australia at the 2016 Rio Paralympics and the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.
Courtney King-Dye is an American equestrian. She competed in two events at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Amelia White is an Australian para-equestrian. She represented Australia at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.
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.
Roberta 'Bert' Sheffield is a British-Canadian Para-equestrian, who has competed for Canada at international competitions including the Paralympics.
Fiona Howard is a British-American para equestrian. She competes in Grade II para dressage. Howard is representing the United States at the 2024 Summer Paralympics.