Injured event rider graded to compete in para dressage – and welcomes an old friend home

Olympic event rider Liz Halliday, who was seriously injured in a fall in August 2024, has been graded to compete in para dressage.

H&H reported in January that the US rider had returned home, after more than a year in hospitals and rehab facilities, and that she had been back in the saddle. Yesterday (5 April) she said she is now riding at home three days a week.

“The best news yet is that I travelled with [my partner] Mark and my mom last week to TerraNova in Florida so that I could be graded to compete in para dressage,” said Liz in an update shared on her Facebook page. “The grading didn’t involve riding this time but did allow officials to assess which group I belong in from a capability standpoint at this stage in my recovery. I am proud to say that I am now officially an FEI grade II para dressage rider!

Liz added: “The grade II FEI tests are based on movements at the walk and trot, and judging is based largely on the quality of the horse and its performance. The tests are long and quite complex, and I’ve started practising movements at home with the anticipation to dive back into competing this year.

“I also met a number of para dressage competitors at TerraNova, and they are an impressive group: resilient, friendly, and dedicated horsewomen. It was an amazing feeling to be with elite athletes who are living with and overcoming the same challenges that I am.

“We all know much more about the amazing sport of para dressage now and are ready to start digging into it. This is an exciting new direction in my career, and I’m so happy to be able to compete again. Onward and upward!”

Steady progress

As well as her para dressage journey, Liz Halliday shared that her return home to her farm in Lexington in December 2025 had been a “major lift” to her spirits and that she continues to make “steady progress” in her recovery.

“My communication is still a daily challenge, and I’m bringing you this update with help from my wonderful support team,” she said.

“I am now riding at home three days a week thanks to my lovely team member Melissa, who looks after my retired horses at the farm. She has graciously allowed me to ride her sweet Brewer, and I can’t tell you how incredible it feels to ride in my own arena again for the first time in so long.

“Above all, my heart is so full because we just welcomed Deniro Z back to the farm. Sitting on him again has been the highlight of my year. You all know how much Niro meant to me in launching my career to the next level, and having him with me makes my life feel a bit more back to normal.”

Deniro Z won nine times internationally for Liz, up to CCI4*-S level. The pair also finished 10th at Kentucky Three-Day Event in 2021 and 15th at Burghley Horse Trials in 2019.

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