Special Edition Para Digest: Bridget Murphy (AUS)

In this special edition, The Para Equestrian Digest speaks to Bridget Murphy (AUS), who is competing in her first Paralympic Games in Paris.

Bridget was not allowed to ride as a young “horse-mad kid” born with multiple pterygium syndrome. But after several surgeries, doctors gave her the green light for some RDA therapy riding.

 After two sessions though, Bridget decided she “wanted to ride like the normal kids”. She joined the Pony Club aged 10, passed all her certificates and gained her instructor qualifications, before moving onto Adult Riders Clubs where she competed at state level in Victoria against able-bodied athletes until 2017, when she was persuaded to try Para Dressage by Australian three-time Paralympian Sharon Jarvis.

 Bridget became classified at the end of 2017, entered her first competition in early 2018 and was national champion within 12 months.

 Now 36, she tells us about her transition into para equestrian and her progress through the Grade II ranks in partnership with her adorable bay mare known as ‘Macey’.

 

 

"As an adult rider in Australia, I was competing for my club at state level and coaching to give something back, but in 2017 my horse had to retire from competitions. He was 18 - it was just one of those things.

 At the time Paralympian Sharon Jarvis was also in Melbourne and heard about me through Sonja Johnson (an Australian Eventer who won an Olympic Games silver medal in 2008). Sharon convinced me to go and have a Para Dressage lesson with her. At the time I didn't have a horse, so I was like, ‘Why not?’

 Through word-of-mouth, I found an awesome school master. He was in his early 20s, stepping down from Grand Prix with his rider, but still looking for a job. So, I got the ride on him and within 12 months, we were national champions.

 The transition to Para Dressage was really eye-opening. I didn't really know much about the scene until I started competing in it - just seeing the opportunities it presented and the community around it was very unique. I hadn't experienced that in other disciplines before. Everyone has a real genuine care and understanding for each other, which is awesome.

 For the last four years I’ve been with Macey, formally known as Penmain Promise, a seven-year-old Dutch Riding Pony Cross Welsh. She was bred locally to me through a friend. Her Sire’s owner (Rossanne Mason) brought her back as a foal because she scored the highest in Australia that year. She was going to keep her, but she never really grew.

 So Rossanne, who now part-owns her with me, introduced Macy to wearing a saddle. It was during the Covid lockdowns and the horse I was riding to try to qualify for Tokyo had injured herself in the paddock. I was looking for something else, ready to step straight into competition, a bit bigger.  But Rossanne convinced me to come and look at this three-year-old.

 I was only the second person to ever sit on her, but within five minutes I knew she was pretty special. I took her home to try her out and she's been with me ever since.

 I’ve sat on a lot of horses and some of them just don’t cope with different weights and aids initially. But Macey would try anything for you. She was like, ‘OK, yep, got it’ and we'd do it straightaway. On the ground, she was phenomenally quiet. Nothing fazed her at all. I just got a really good feeling from her. She picked up everything so quickly. You don’t have to ask twice. You tell her once, she gets it, and off we go. She is a special one.

 The Covid lockdowns in Victoria were quite beneficial for me because it gave me that time to really get to know her and take her through everything slowly before going out and competing. She’s really reliable, she just wants to please. Because I got her so young, I’ve just worked with her to what I need and it’s been amazing.

 I've always liked training young horses, even growing up, because I like working with a blank canvas. Being only the second person to ride her, I could train her specifically to my aids. I do a lot of voice with her so I'm always pulling faces in photos when I'm riding because I'm always talking to her. She’s very light to my aids and adjusts to my weight differences. She knows what to ignore and what different weight shifts mean.

 Last year I went over to the UK and rode at Hartpury and unfortunately came back with a bone fracture and was told I had to spend 10 weeks minimum out of the saddle, and I had 12 weeks until our first Paralympics qualifying competition. I was very lucky and grateful that my coach - Monica Bird - stepped in for that 10-week period and took over the reins for a bit. It just got Macey up to the point where she needed to be.

 It's so important to have a good support team around you. I met my groom, Kate Arton, at university about 18 years ago and we've been friends ever since. When I stepped into Para Dressage, she put her hand up straightaway to groom with me and has been at every competition – good, bad and ugly. She's seen it all in me. I'm very lucky to have her and glad I could pay it back in some way by being here at the Paralympic Games.

 Macey’s only seven and only stepped up to three-star level at that first qualifier in Australia, in October last year. We threw her in at the deep end to experience what happens, because we only get big shows every four years in Australia. We didn't want to wait till the next cycle to get that exposure. So, we decided to run the campaign more as a training exercise and ended up here in Versailles, which is quite amazing.

 The Individual Medal Event on the opening day of the Paralympic Games programme was only her fifth shot at this test, so it was beyond expectations. I was super happy with her. It was awesome to get through to the Freestyle, because Macey loves her Freestyle.

 Paris has just been phenomenal. Everyone's been so welcoming, going above and beyond to make sure we have everything we need at the athletes’ village and the venue. It’s beautiful, so magical, just looking at the Chateau and the stunning grounds. Everything's super easy and everyone in the community has been behind me too.

 For any aspiring young athletes, you need to be clear in what your values are. If it's to win a medal, you’re going to have to dig deep. But if it's just to enjoy the journey, make sure you stick true to what feels right for you and your horse.

 It also helps to have a pair of lucky socks! I wasn't superstitious until I learned about other riders’ habits, but now if I have a really good competition, I take note of what socks I was wearing and they come out for the next one. I had a special pair lined up for this week!"

 

The Para Equestrian Digest is the FEI’s online Para Sport magazine bringing you first-person stories from athletes and the people connected to the sport.

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