Meet the rider making her Paralympic debut with her 13hh superstar

Meet Australian para dressage rider Bridget Murphy, who has made her championship debut at the Paris Paralympics with her 13hh part-bred Welsh superstar.

Bridget and seven-year-old Penmain Promise scored 66.72% in the individual grade II test this morning (3 September), and have qualified for the freestyle on Saturday (7 September).

Bridget, who has a bachelor’s degree in animal and veterinary biosciences, started competing in para dressage in 2018. She took on the ride of “Macey”, who is thought to be the smallest equine in Paris, as a recently backed three-year-old and the pair made their international debut in April last year.

“She’s only seven, and stepped up to CPEDI3* level at the first Paralympic qualifier in Australia in October last year. This is only her fifth shot at this test, and it was just beyond expectations. I’m super happy with her,” said Bridget.

“She’s very calm and quiet normally, but we never get these situations in Australia, so I thought ‘let her settle, don’t take a chance at the start’, but she was fine, and pushing for more as the test went on.”

Bridget said her coach rides Macey a bit but otherwise “it’s me and her”.

“Her size makes her a good fit for me, and she just gives you everything. She’s really reliable and she just wants to please,” she said.

“Because I got her when she was so young, [working with me] is really all she knows and it’s just been amazing. She doesn’t need to be asked twice, you tell her once, she gets it and off we go.”

Bridget said Macy “likes all the attention she can get” and she will be rewarded for efforts in Paris today with “a bag and a half of carrots”.

“As long as she’s got treats she’s happy. She’ll get carrots and some grass this afternoon”, she said, adding that being at Versailles is “magical”.

“Looking at the back of the palace, it’s stunning,” she said.

The USA’s Fiona Howard and Diamond Dunes won gold in the grade II individual test on 76.93%. Danish rider Katrina Kristensen and Goerklintgaards Quater took silver on 73.95%, and Britain’s Georgia Wilson and Sakura won bronze on 73.41%.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news throughout the Paralympic Games, Burghley, Horse of the Year Show and more, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You might also be interested in: