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Richard Nelson LLP sponsors paralympics dressage hopeful, Emma Sheardown

Richard Nelson LLP are delighted to announce our sponsorship of hopeful Paralympics Dressage Rider, Emma Sheardown. Emma lives in Grantham, Lincolnshire and is hoping to qualify for our Paralympics dressage team who are amongst the favourites to secure Britain a gold medal or two.

Emma was born with Cerebral Palsy which affects her balance and the coordination of both her arms and legs. Para Dressage Riders, like other disabled athletes are profiled according to their level of disability, the reason for this is because it wouldn’t be fair for an athlete for a more severe disability to compete against those who are physically more able.

Riders are assessed by two classifiers who assess the rider’s disability ‘off the horse’ and this has nothing to do with their ability ‘on the horse’.

Riders are graded from 1A – 4 with 1A riders being at the severe end of the disability range and grade 4’s having the least impairment. The level of movements required in the dressage tests vary in each grade. Because Emma’s disability affects so many parts of her body, Emma is profiled as a grade 1A rider.

Emma competes with her team mate, Purdy’s Dream (Eddie). Eddie, like Emma, is Lincolnshire born and bred.

One of our equine team members visited Emma and Eddie for one of their recent training sessions and had this to say:

“They make a very elegant and distinguished looking team’. Emma is completely at home on a horse, they have a real connection and understanding of each other.

“Emma has that determination and focus, common to all high achieving athletes and Eddie has a real ‘presence and spark’ about him.”

We wish them both every success on the path to Olympic team qualification and will be supporting Emma in her endeavours.

Emma has already achieved selection on to the World Class Performance Squad in 2010, an individual bronze and freestyle gold medal at the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky USA in 2010, and individual silver, freestyle silver and team gold in the 2011 European Championships in Belgium.

An Olympic gold or two on home turf would, no doubt, be welcome additions.

Best of luck to Emma and Eddie… watch this space…

For further information about Emma and Eddie please visit www.emmasheardown.co.uk. Twitter is @EmmaSheardown

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