Susan Treabess on Moneypenny

We are so pleased to have Susan Treabess as out spotlight Para-Equestrian.  Susan competes in para-dressage because she was born without her left hand.  Susan also successfully competes in traditional dressage. Go Susan!

Bio:

Susan was raised in Lake Tahoe, California and has been riding since she was five.  Born without her left hand, she rides with a prosthesis up to her elbow.  She started competing at an early age, first in hunter/jumpers and able-bodied dressage, and only decided to pursue para-equestrian fairly recently.  Having enjoyed some success with her mare Moneypenny, she had to ride a last minute replacement at this year’s National Championships and WEG Qualifier’s when an injury put the mare out of action for the rest of the year.  Susan did remarkably well but did not achieve her qualifying scores – yet.

Happily Moneypenny has recently had a vet check at UC Davis and has been given the go-ahead to start slow work, and fingers crossed, if all goes well, should be back in full training by November.  In the meantime, Susan is riding Final, whose owner recently had a baby.  Together Susan and Final have been racking up the rosettes at Fourth Level, and Susan also has two nice young horses, potential 2012 paralympians, that she is training.  Susan freely admits that a vital part of her team is “horse-show-husband” Scott, who has got it down to such a fine art that he will soon be traveling the country giving seminars to other non-horsey spouses!  Susan is also on the lookout for a back-up horse for next year’s World Equestrian Games; she is looking for a horse that is already well-schooled up to Prix St Georges and can do simple changes, and her team will take care of all the care, training and insurance.

As well as her regular trainer, Susan also takes lessons from Steffen Peters periodically. Susan writes a wonderful blog complete with photos and videos, and manages to combine all this with a full time job working for  Senator Lois Wolk in the California State Senate representing Davis and the Greater Area.

Susan is now based in Winters, CA.

Interviews:

Listen to Susan’s initial interview in episode 39.

Get an update on Susan’s progress in episode 51.

Links:

Visit Susan Treabess’s blog at susanandmp.blogspot.com.

See Google results for “Susan Treabess”.

Video:

Susan Treabess and Moneypenney 3rd level freestyle on 8-30-08.