Alex McNamara

 

KBIS starting supporting Alex in 2009 helping with the funding that is required in order to be able to regularly travel and compete. Alex first starting competing in Para-Equestrian Dressage at the age of 12, now 20 years of age he has, through a lot of hard work and dedication, benefitted from being included onto the World Class Development and then the World Class Start and Potential programme during the last five years.

 

Based up in Lincolnshire Alex was born with a disability known as Hemiplegia, a form of cerebral palsy which affects the muscle control that he has in the left side of his body. Para Dressage riders are classified according to their disability; the grade at which they ride determines the complexity of the movements that are required in a dressage test. Alex is a Grade II rider, which means that the dressage tests he performs will involve walk and trot movements. The more complex movement that he would have to demonstrate would be leg yielding, rein back, 10 metre circles and medium paces.

 

Alex combines his riding with studying Marketing and PR at Lincoln University. Currently in second year Alex has to fit his studies around looking after the eight horses (and one donkey) which reside at Studworth Farm, between him and his mother they do all of the work and Alex has to ride up to five horses a day. Amongst these horses are Alex's two Para Dressage horses Max (Rubinhall) and Leo (Cappelano) with whom he attending and had success at all of the major shows in 2011, including the Winter Championships, Hickstead Premier League, Hartpury CPEDI and the Nationals. Leo also tried in hand in show jumping, coming second in the first 'competitive' para show jumping championships held at Scope.

 

2012 looks set to be another busy year not least as Alex will have another ride to add to his string, Louis a 7 year old hanoverian from Germany, who he has high hopes for. Alex's achievements can be seen on our News page and you can find out more about Alex on his website.

 

Para rider Alex McNamara with his bay gelding Cappelanor (Leo) para Rider Alex McNamara competing on his Chestnut gelding Rubinhall (Max)

Alex left with Leo and above competing on Max at the Winter Championships