Para dressage?

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dressage_diva

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Just over 3weeks ago I suffered a spontaneous brain haemorrhage while on holiday. Fortunately it hasn't affected my motorskills, but it has damaged the visual processing centre of my brain meaning I've lost a quarter of my field of vision (enough for me to have lost my driving licence). Whilst it is still the early stages and there is a small chance my vision may improve in time, I've been told to accept it may never improve.

I absolutely adore dressage and naturally now that I'm partially sighted I'm keen to learn more about para dressage and whether there are opportunities for people with only a degree of vision loss, rather than complete blindness? I looked on the BD site briefly but only saw that riders are classified by physiotherapists and couldn't get any more info (and the RDA website over-whelmed me when I tried to read it!).

Thanks
 
Oh my goodness, that sounds horrible! Im glad you are ok and very sorry to hear about the sight and driving licence :(

From a quick google rda does have partially sighted riders, but you might be better off with the parasports association as there are different grades in dressage. I did find this though:
http://www.winfieldhospital.co.uk/news/british-dressage-team.aspx
So you might be best contacting the IBSA :)
 
dressage_diva said:
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Sorry to hear about the haemorrhage :(

One of my RDA riders is partially sighted and she went to the RDA Nationals this year so the answer is yes, the opportunities are there. There's no chance we could go further as just don't have the horsepower sadly.

As a partially sighted rider you would be entitled to enter both the graded classes (that's where your grading by the various medical related professionals come in) and you qualify for the Nationals at one of the Regional competitions. If your motorskills are intact, ie your sight is the only issue, you'd be either graded/classified as a grade IV or a grade III I believe. I've got the definitions somewhere. Within those tests you'd be competing against all riders of the same grade, regardless of what their actual disability is. The grade IV nationals test is a BD elementary equivalent.

The tests aimed solely for partially sighted/blind riders you don't have to qualify for and enter direct to the National competition but you must be classified by British Blind sport. My rider's test was a prelim equivalent walk and trot at Nationals, there is a walk, trot, canter test too and a walk only. With the only noticeable difference in the arena was the size of the markers and you get more time to acquaint yourself with the arena. You can obviously have your test called too.

Hope that helps a bit, I've got copies of the tests if you fancy a read?

In terms of crossing the bridge to BD/Para - it's down to getting out and competing, and once you're doing well, getting spotted. Para-dressage is working very closely with BD because the number of registered para riders isn't actually that high and naturally they want to develop the squads even more so.

Best advice is contact a local RDA group - the bigger the better as they're more likely to have better horsepower, more money to get out competing and know the system even more so.
 
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Thanks only_me. Just looked very briefly (I find reading tiring at the moment) and not sure I'd reach the eligibility requirement for the ISBA as think my field of vision is still better than their criteria (but I'm guessing somewhat!). In which case I presume I would just ride in BD as normal and will have to adapt to not being able to see everything! I sat on my 18yr old gelding for 5minutes yesterday while someone walked in the ground next to me and whilst I can still ride I just couldn't see peripherally to my right and was paranoid of crashing into others riding in the school with me! Won't be doing anything more than 10 minute walks any time soon as been warned trot/canter likely to aggravate my headaches and neck pain. Luckily the neurologist cleared me to do walking on my gelding as he thinks it will help me recover if I try and do small tasks regularly.
 
teapot thank you so much. - that is so helpful. I've been struggling to come to terms with my loss of independence being unable to drive - I can't get to work (though I'm signed off sick anyways as too ill) or the stables, so I was hoping researching my possibilities in dressage might cheer me up!

I'll look into contacting RDA groups - there are lots in my area! Are they often able to help with horsepower? My gelding is only sound enough to hack after having tendon surgery at the beginning of this year so won't be suitable to compete. I'd been aiming to buy a dressage horse in 2014 but given my poor employment prospects now this is looking very unlikely! I've competed up to Novice BD (only on ticket) and been training on another horse where I've been working towards being able to ride at Advanced Medium. Needless to say in going to be out of practice now but I think I could ride an elementary test eventually as my motor skills are completely unaffected.

If anyone can recommend a good RDA near j6 of M40 please let me know :)
 
If you want I might be able to put you in touch with my rider - she has issues with her peripheral and like you is worried she'll bang into things.

Horsepower depends on the group and area, but all the groups will take their own horses to Nationals (or if you're the Isle of Man team, you fly down and beg, borrow or steal a ride). I'll point a friend to this post as her horse is actually used for a RDA rider who's now on the para-circuit and she knows far more about the higher levels.

Your RDA region is 'South' and there's a list here, http://www.southregionrda.com/ best bet would be to contact the regional chairman as they'll know which group would suit you.
 
teapot if your friend is able to offer any advice that would be amazing. My fiancé has had a very brief look at the various classifications but we think my visual field isn't bad enough for me to meet the classifications if our understanding is correct (I suppose I should be grateful it's not that bad, but I'm not sure how I feel about navigating a typical BD warm-up!). When I'm feeling stronger I'll definitely contact my RDA regional chairman to see if they can help :)
 
Oh no, what a horrible shock for you. Wow.

I know there are quite a few partially sighted riders who compete in the US - not that it helps you from a organisational point of view but it might give you some ideas. I will try to find some links. For dressage they have "living markers" - people who stand at the letters and repeat the letter at regular intervals - and the riders who jump use headsets to get navigation from their trainers.
 
Thanks Tarrsteps - I was wondering how blind riders coped show jumping! Thankfully I'm not much of a jumper anyways so I can cope without doing that, but I absolutely adore dressage and whilst I never expected to set the world alight I had been hoping to eventually progress up the levels further! Suddenly being completely house-bound has come as a shock!
 
dressage_diva said:
teapot if your friend is able to offer any advice that would be amazing. My fiancé has had a very brief look at the various classifications but we think my visual field isn't bad enough for me to meet the classifications if our understanding is correct (I suppose I should be grateful it's not that bad, but I'm not sure how I feel about navigating a typical BD warm-up!). When I'm feeling stronger I'll definitely contact my RDA regional chairman to see if they can help :)
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The RDA definition for grade IV is 'impairment in one or two limbs or some visual impairment' - how much though I don't know. I'll def see if my rider's happy to share stories, she has mobility issues as well but I'm in awe at how independent she really is all things considered!

The living markers thing is really cool... until you realise you've not got enough volunteers. Which happened to us once!
 
Hi DD,

I work for a large RDA centre, and had riders who are partially sighted. Within RDA comps you compete within the specific sighted/blind tests and there are various ones (walk, walk/trot, walk/trot/canter). The world is your oyster really when it comes to RDA/ para....you get out of it what you want :D I've worked with a few riders now, from therapy going onto competing at RDA regional & national level to then go onto competing in the para world. And at the para dressage level, anyone with a disability can have a go, it's just getting tougher as the standards are improving.

Within para & abled bodied you compete with a white armband on to declare you're sighted rider. Basically ditto all the info posted by Teapot regarding finding a centre & getting yourself profiled. You'd be a grade 4 rider, but it depends on the outcome of grading as to if you are a 4 or a 5 (5 = able bodied).

Giving RDA National a call they would be able to offer you the best advice and then direct you in the right direction to find a centre and/ or how to get classified. We've had a variety of sighted riders and if you get stuck drop me a PM and i'll chat to our organiser and see if she has any more advice to offer.

Sadly I'm based way over in London.

P.S. I'd probably most give Sarah Hadley at national a call...details on: http://www.rda.org.uk/about-rda/meet-the-team/

Hope any of that helps!
 
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I'm afraid I can't help with BD/Para at all, but can I suggest Headway as a contact point for helping re employment or any issues you have related to claiming benefits or similar whilst recovering.

They were a huge help to the families and patients I cared for when I worked in ABI rehab.
 
hi sorry to hear about what has happened, it has only been 3 weeks it is good that you are looking forward, on a practical note how about putting small bells round your school so you can hear the edge of the school and might help you with spatial awarness, there are also spatial sensors which emit a beeping sound, directly into a head set if you wish a little bit like bat echo, again giving you better spatial awarness,
 
noggin667 said:
Giving RDA National a call they would be able to offer you the best advice and then direct you in the right direction to find a centre and/ or how to get classified. We've had a variety of sighted riders and if you get stuck drop me a PM and i'll chat to our organiser and see if she has any more advice to offer.

Sadly I'm based way over in London.

P.S. I'd probably most give Sarah Hadley at national a call...details on: http://www.rda.org.uk/about-rda/meet-the-team/

Hope any of that helps!
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Thanks so much. When I'm feeling a bit stronger I will give Sarah a call :)
 
CrazyMare said:
I'm afraid I can't help with BD/Para at all, but can I suggest Headway as a contact point for helping re employment or any issues you have related to claiming benefits or similar whilst recovering.

They were a huge help to the families and patients I cared for when I worked in ABI rehab.
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Thanks, I'd already found Headway on Google whilst I was in hospital but haven't made any contact with them yet. I kind of felt bad asking them for help as I know from my time in hospital that I'm definitely one of the fortunate ones and other than my vision (and tiredness/weakness while I'm still recovering) I haven't been as badly affected as many others are that have brain bleeds. However, I do have some questions regarding sick pay so I probably will try contacting them (whilst I worked part time for a company who are paying me sick pay, I also worked part time as a freelancer and I'm no getting any sick pay via that).

hollyandivy123 said:
hi sorry to hear about what has happened, it has only been 3 weeks it is good that you are looking forward, on a practical note how about putting small bells round your school so you can hear the edge of the school and might help you with spatial awarness, there are also spatial sensors which emit a beeping sound, directly into a head set if you wish a little bit like bat echo, again giving you better spatial awarness,
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Thanks that's a helpful idea. I was suprised at how easy I found it to ride around the outside track in my indoor (but that might have been because my 18yr old gelding knows his job so well!). However, I've only tried walking at the moment (my head and neck couldn't cope with anything faster just yet and even 5minutes in walk left me tired!), but I'd imagine that could be really useful particularly when I'm cantering on the left rein as I don't think I'd be able to see the markers on the outside track as it is the right hand side of my vision that has been affected.
 
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