Canadian Para equestrian team nominated for Paris 2024 Paralympics
Two of the three athletes have been to the Paralympics before.
Three Canadian Para dressage riders and their horses were named to Team Canada for the Paris 2024 Paralympics on Friday. Roberta Sheffield and Jody Schloss will both be making their third Paralympic appearances, while Austen Burns will be making his first.
To be eligible to participate in the Paris 2024 Para equestrian competitions, athletes and their horses must have achieved the FEI Minimum Eligibility Requirements at selected events during the qualification period — which ran from January 1 to July 1, 2024. Athletes compete in five separate classifications, which are mixed gender, based on their level of impairment from highest to lowest: I, II, III, IV and V.
Sheffield made her debut at Rio 2016, helping Canada finish 13th in the team event. At Tokyo 2020 she was part of the team that upped their finish to 10th, also placing 12th in the individual event. After previously competing in the Grade III events, Sheffield was reclassified this year and will be competing in Grade II events in Paris alongside her horse Fairuza.
She is currently ranked seventh in the Grade II world rankings.
“I cannot describe how it feels to be nominated for Team Canada,” said Sheffield in a press release. “It is such a huge honour to represent my country, and it’s been such an incredible journey with so many twists and turns. There is nothing like wearing the maple leaf.”
Jody Schloss, who competes in Grade I, made her debut at London 2012 — finishing 11th in the individual and freestyle events, and 8th in the team event. At Tokyo 2020 where she finished 11th place in the individual event. In Paris she will be partnered with horse El Colorado.
Burns, who is also a Grade I athlete, is the lone Canadian without prior Paralympic Games experience. Born in Vancouver but based in Northern Ireland, Burns will make his debut this summer with his partner Happy Feet 3.
Both Sheffield and Schloss represented Canada at the 2022 FEI World Championships in Denmark where Schloss placed 13th in the Grade I event and Sheffield placed fifth in the Grade III event.
“All three of our athletes have worked hard to get here, and we are looking forward to the next step for them in Paris,” said Christine Peters the Senior Manager of the Dressage Olympic/Paralympic Program at Equestrian Canada. “With a support team on the ground with significant Paralympic experience, everyone will have the opportunity to perform at their best.”
There are three dressage events at the Paralympic Games — individual and team events where movements are pre-determined, and a freestyle event where the riders choose their movements. The individual event takes place on September 3, the team event is on September 6, and the individual freestyle event follows on September 7.
Equestrian competitions will take place at the Palace of Versailles.
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