July 2022 Issue

Page 6 July 2022 EAST COAST EQUESTRIAN By Marcella Peyre-Ferry Individuals with disabilities often find a wealth of benefits in building a relationship with horses. That can be through groundwork, riding or driving. At this year’s Elk Creek Combined Driving Event, held June 3 - 5 at Fair Hill, MD, para-driver Alanna Flax-Clark put in a strong per- formance, finishing with the best dressage score of the competition and third in the Training Level division. Her success is not built on a lifetime with horses. Flax-Clark had no experience with horses before taking riding lessons as physical therapy. Years ago, an infection attacked the nerves in her body, leaving her weak and damaging her immune system so that she has been susceptible to further infections. At this point, she is no longer able to walk. “I started riding for therapy, that’s how I got into horses. The horses were the one thing that always really helped me. When I was transitioning to the point Para drivers and able-bodied drivers compete on an equal basis in most Combined Driving events. Here para-equestrian driver Alanna Flax Clark, who found equestrian sports through physical therapy, com- petes in her first CDE with Invitation Only, a Dutch Harness horse owned by trainer Sara Schmitt. Photo credit: Rick Ewing In First Time on Course, Para-Driver Succeeds at Elk Creek CDE where I wasn’t needing therapy anymore, I had to figure out how to keep the horses in my life because I loved them so much and what they were doing for me,” Flax-Clark said. “That’s how I learned about para-dressage. At that point I didn’t know what dressage was at all. I just knew it was a sport and you could go to the Para-Olympics. I said OK that’s what I’ll do. I con- tinued training and used it to keep the horses in my life.” After Flax-Clark met Sara Schmitt, she moved from Los Angeles, CA to New Jersey to train with Schmitt at her facility in Annandale NJ. Recently, Flax-Clark’s con- dition has made riding impossi- ble, but rather than giving up on horses she redirected her efforts toward driving. “I’ve been a para-rider and competing for the last few years, but my condition started wors- ening. The last year I’ve been in and out of the hospital a lot and just much weaker, so riding has been more difficult for me for a number of reasons,” she said. “For me, the year has been a lot of medical stress and not very much fun, so this was a way for me to have something else to focus on and go out and have fun and enjoy myself.” Schmitt saw driving as a way to keep Flax-Clark active with horses and Combined Driving as a competitive outlet for her. “I’m normally in Florida during the winter but I had to stay here for treatments and therapy, and she (Schmitt) suggested, ‘when you feel up to it there’s this horse at the barn – he’s a great horse - why don’t you try driving?’” Flax-Clark said. “I had driven in the past, just minimally. The driving was a great alternative for me. It didn’t test my balance as much.” With the help of Schmitt and assistant trainer Maggie O’Leary, a system was developed to make driving possible for Flax-Clark. Any carriage can be used with the addition of a five-point harness for the driver, which is permitted for para-drivers in competition. Because she is short, a block is added on the floor as a footrest, and her legs are strapped together for support. “I have reins I have adapted because I can’t grip. They are reins with loops, so we had to fig- ure out a way to adjust the loops quickly, especially during the marathon,” Flax-Clark said. They developed loops that clip onto the reins, so they can be quickly and easily moved up or down the reins, or multiple loops can be attached to the reins. “It’s a great way to connect with the horses, to go out and have fun,” Flax-Clark said. Flax-Clark’s horse for Elk Creek was a Dutch Harness Horse owned by Julie Schmitt named Invitation Only, who is known at the barn as I Man. “He’s just very good natured. He loves to drive. Sara competes him as well,” Flax-Clark said. “From day one he was perfect for me. I’ve been out on the roads around the farm with him, and wherever we go he doesn’t bat an eye. He has the energy to go, go, go and do his job because he just loves it so much.” Flax-Clark did not find it difficult to adapt from riding to driving because she was already depending on vocal cues to a great extent. “The way I ride my horse is a lot like driving since I don’t use my legs,” she said. “Since I don’t have my body, you have to be creative about how you get the horse to react to you.” Her background in dressage carried over well to the dres- sage phase of the CDE, but the marathon and cones were new experiences. “The dressage was pretty natural for me - I didn’t have to think much about it. The cones I had never actually done with him. I’d only practiced once with another horse,” Flax-Clark said. “My goal was to go and have fun. I did the whole marathon and that was fun. I didn’t really have prac- tice with the hazards, but by the second or third one I was going through them, not fast, but I got more of the idea of the turning.” For the most part, para-driv- ers compete on a level footing with everyone else in the competi- tion. Because she cannot drive on her own, she was allowed to have a driver take her in a golf-cart to inspect the marathon course. Flax-Clark had never met her navigator Laura Defazio before the event. “I’m not sure she knew I was a para-driver, so it was a new experience for both of us,” Flax-Clark said. After her experience at the Elk Creek CDE, Flax-Clark has become a strong supporter of combined driving. “I love it be- cause it pushes you to be the best athlete,” she said. “It’s a different kind of sport and a different way of connecting with the horse.” She also enjoyed the atmo- sphere of the event. “The driving world is so different from the dressage world. It’s so much fun. Everyone in the driving world is so supportive of each other,” she said. Flax-Clark would heartily recommend driving and com- bined driving to para-equestrians. “It would be great to have more para-drivers. There are ways to make a lot of adaptations depending on your needs,” she said. “Horses are so sensitive to each individual that they can re- ally adapt to the individual. And it’s a great sport for people who don’t feel like they can sit on the horse.”