SOPHIE CHRISTIANSEN AND ATHENE

HAVING ALWAYS RIDDEN older horses who’ve proved themselves on the able bodied circuit, para dressage star Sophie Christiansen took on the challenge of a young horse after the London 2012 Games, where she won three Paralympic goIds. “I took on Athene and she’s so different to my other horse, Janeiro, who can be lazy and needs strong riding to get the best out of him, while Athene’s a mare and sensitive, so I need to be really subtle. If I rode her like I did Janeiro, she’d tell me to get off!” At the Rio Paralympics, a couple of days before her first test, Sophie says Athene ‘freaked out’ so much that she had to get off. “I was worried she’d do it again and, as she’s young, she really needs me to be there all the time to tell her what to do, to reassure her and to give her confidence. However, because of my disability I can’t stay strong in my position all the time and as a nine-year-old that’s hard for Athene to cope with,” explains Sophie. Even after her first test, Sophie still felt terrified and so worked on relaxing with her mentor. “A lot of riders forget how important it is to relax – the horse really feels it,” she says. “I also think it’s important to get a good walk, which is my specialty,” she adds. “Once you’ve got a nice pace in the walk, if you continue to form a good base, you’ll get a good trot and canter, too. On Janeiro, if I relax, he’ll do an amazing walk, but if I push him too much, his walk goes all tight. With Athene’s paces it’s not so obvious, but to bring out the best in her, if I relax, she’ll relax, too.”