RIDING a warm-blooded horse named Rappa, Marlee’s Mikaela Worth walked her way into the reserve champion position in the Para Equestrian Dressage event at the Sydney CDI FE 2017.
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The three-day event was Mikaela’s debut at the Sydney International Equestrian Centre, her first time competing outside the local area and outside of RDA (Riding for the Disabled Association) competitions. The Para Equestrian event is divided into three sections; teams, championship and freestyle.
“Everyone completes the same sequences for the first two sections, whereas the freestyle section is graded according to the ability of the rider,’’ Mikaela explained.
“Grade one is a walk only, grade two is walk and trot, grade three is walk and trot with some canter.
“The freestyle section is fun, you can be much more creative because the whole section is set to music. This year my coach, Marina Brand and I used ‘Apache’, the instrumental by Jerry Lordan.”
Mikaela, who has cerebral palsy, took out reserve champion in the Para Equestrian Dressage grade one section.
"I was quite nervous,” she admitted.
But she explained that managing her nerves is important.
“Rappa will mirror my emotions so I’ve got to be in control and once the event starts I just focus on our movements," she said.
Mickaela explained that preparing ’Rappa’ whose full name name is ‘Phorce Field Rapunzel,’ is an essential part of the process.
"I take her to local events and keep an eye on her general well-being; the way she walks her coat and the way she’s behaving,’’ she said.
Mikaela juggles a four-day week training schedule with her job as a full-time receptionist/administrator for Life Without Barriers in Taree.
Conservative about her aspirations, Mikaela says: " I’d like to keep on improving and see how far I can go."
About Riding for the Disabled Association
RDA Centres provide suitable horses, trained volunteer helpers, accredited RDA coaches, riding and safety equipment to run a range of equestrian activities including:
- structured riding classes
- recreational horse riding
- hippotherapy
- mounted games/competitive riding
- vaulting
- carriage driving
- dressage
- equestrian camps