Welcome to Elite Tasmanian Rider Mandy Parsons
Mandy is classified as a Grade1V PE (paraequestrian) and at the 2017 Australian National Equestrian Championships she made her debut.
Mandy’s story:
"So, basically I'm a professional French Horn player having studied & worked throughout Europe and I came home to Hobart to help care for my parents."
"With 50 acres and the suggestion of trying out for Para competition, I got back into riding after a 15 year break and bought a Warmblood mare as my main focus."
"Unfortunately, she went unsound, and so began my breeding program which has produced many top quality horses, the most recent being LBA Zhia who I trained up to Elementary and she became my Para competition horse. Over the last 2 years of mainland competitions we were either in 1st or 2nd placings, which was no mean feat as everyone else was competing seasoned, educated, and very expensive horses."
Where it all began:
Mandy was born in the early 1960’s as a thalidomide baby.
Mandy rode her mother’s 16.2hh thoroughbred from the age of three. The horse was a known 'bolter', but not with Mandy. Growing up on the family farm allowed Mandy’s natural ability with horses to flourish. With no formal training; no coaching, and no lessons, just endless hours of playing cowboys and indians, Mandy and her sister had a very successful career in the show horse ring.
When Mandy resumed riding as a PE, she implored her coach Lydia Jackson to teach her 'Dressage for Dummies' and this client/coach team developed a great rapport. Mandy also trains with Roger Fitzhardinge.
Future Goals:
"At our recent State Championships at the beginning of March, we won Elementary Champion, against able bodied competitors, and our Para championship as well. We scored our 'Personal Best' over all 5 tests during the weekend with one mainland judge giving us over 79% for our freestyle to music!!"
"This judge was wowed by our performances and said we were a definite contender for the Australian Tokyo 2020 Para team!"
Setbacks:
"Unfortunately my beautiful young horse, with the most amazing unrealised talent died a week later from Colic. But apparently we have impressed so many people with our journey that a syndicate is looking at buying me a horse and we're looking at Germany as the source."
"It is not easy finding something under 16hh (I'm vertically challenged with one arm shorter than the other which makes tacking up etc, a challenge when over height), already educated, and the whole package."
So, Tokyo 2020, is the aim at this stage and at the moment I will keep on training and competing my Pony Dressage 2nd horse.
Where Mandy calls home:
Cambridge, Tasmania with her husband Ottmar Ritter.
Favourite Dynavyte product:
"It was this interstate travel and attending a Dynavyte information evening that got me onto the MicroBiome Support, which was brilliant in supporting my young, unseasoned horse on her first trip across on the boat, the travel on either side of that and stabling for the first time. In actual fact, she did so well on it that I had the rest of the Tassie team on Dynavyte and we actually bought out the local produce store!"
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