Irish Sport Horse Magazine caught up with FEI Reining Athlete and the Founder of the World Para Reining organisation,Lisa Coulter in April 2020 to discover more about her passion for the Sport and what it has to offer our Irish Para Equestrians.
Lisa, how did you become involved in the sport of Reining?
I always dreamt of riding and making horses my life. I was determined to make it my career. I tried almost every discipline and sport there is. Reining stuck because I love adrenaline and doing things hard and fast but with a precision. I mostly loved the communication between a horse and rider in Reining. We ride with little contact on the horse when we do it right. This means a trainer must have a great amount of skill communicating properly with their horses. And the result is a highly trained horse who does some amazing things in tune with a rider’s every move.
What do you love about the sport?
The horses are everything to me in the sport. It’s the only thing I really truly love about Reining, besides Para of course. And I can say I deeply appreciate the manoeuvres and the training it takes to accomplish them. But it’s a Reining horse that is what makes us all love it, especially the Para riders. The sport needs some work to make me love it like I do its horses.
How did you become involved in Para Reining?
I coached at the first ever Para demonstration at the AQHA World Show. It was an instant connection for me. I was inspired beyond measure. I broke my neck in a car accident at 19; I wasn’t supposed to ride again. So a part of me identified with the riders. I understood their bravery and the need and desire to ride against the odds. That’s a very strong and powerful emotion and ambition, and it also deepened my love and respect for the Reining horse
What inspired you to found World Para Reining, and can you tell us about the organisation?
I have been an FEI competitor for years and also a lifetime member of NRHA. I respect and admire both associations a great deal. I have sat on boards and understand the downfalls and mistakes made.
I believed if we were going to form an association it needed to be worldwide, not just national, and not governed by anything besides a transparent inclusive organization. That’s how WPR was formed, By the Riders and for the Riders. I was just their advocate and mentor. The Para riders are who made this happen. I just had some experience to guide it. We are still small, there’s never going to huge numbers because Para Reining and WPR is about a rider with different abilities competing on a Reining horse. There’s not a whole lot of those types of monstrously brave souls on the planet. It takes a lot to do what WPR riders do!
Do you find that more Para Equestrians are being drawn into the Sport in recent years with the help of WPR?
Yes! Most definitely, WPR has been an absolute game changer to Para Reining. We had nothing before WPR, Para Reining is the beginning and we pioneered the way. That can never be discounted or confused because it takes away from those incredible trail blazers who risked a lot to try Reining. I watched as a paralyzed rider spun a horse for the first time ever. I watched a blind rider slide 15 feet on a horse for the first time. There are so many testimonies and stories to tell.
We didn’t start WPR by walking into a show pen, the work began at my ranch in Texas. We had a group of incredibly brave riders come and begin to test what we could do. There’s a couple of Para riders that have changed the world for others by their selfless dedication in doing the hard work and sometimes scary work to see if this was attainable. And then stepping into a Reining pen for the first time was monstrous! Who knew and had tried what those riders had? No one! So yes WPR changed everything, it gave riders who wanted to compete a chance to ride a Reining horse and try the sport.
Are there many National and International Reining Competitions available to Para Riders?
There are many competitions at all levels available. WPR made it a point to be incredibly inclusive and to this day we still maintain that model. A WPR class can go absolutely anywhere. So that’s new to any Reining competition. We have patterns that can be ridden anywhere. That’s been important to development and allowing riders from countries all over the world to become involved.
We hit the biggest Reining shows in the world when we started. That was my intent, to give WPR the biggest presence possible to see if it would work. It did! Now we can step off the grand stage and focus on development and welcoming grass roots levels to try this sport. We still have the big Championships, that’s important, as we are a competition association and not a therapy program. Our riders want to compete and win just like anyone else who competes. WPR riders just tend to be slightly more appreciative of where they are when they step into a Reining show pen. And that’s felt throughout the entire arena.
If a Para Equestrian is interested in getting involved in Para Reining what do suggest they should do?
It’s so easy for anyone to get involved! We have a website, www.worldparareining.net and a Facebook Page. We have a lot of really awesome riders who continually work together to invite and welcome others. WPR has become a family and I never saw that coming. The riders bond and in a fierce way, so when a new rider wants to join in, I see nothing but inclusive positivity in welcoming and involving them. What we need is more coaches and trainers to get involved; I believe that would open doors a great deal more.
Are there any resources online that you could recommend?
We are just launching an online competition format! I say let’s ride and let’s use the foundation of WPR as a reminder that challenges aren’t always a choice. But being a Champion is! Watch the FB page as we roll out this new initiative to keep riders goal orientated and involved in the best things in life.
Last Question; what is best piece of advice you could offer to a young Para Equestrian Starting out in the Sport of Reining?
My best advice is to reach out to the other riders. There’s a whole family of like minded people readily available to guide and assist in reaching goals and making dreams happen. And be patient! This sport isn’t easy, for anyone. It starts with getting on and taking the first step forward. And sometimes that’s as big a challenge as someone needs to achieve. But just think! They got on and they took that step!
Lisa, many thanks from all the team here at Irish Sport Horse Magazine, wishing you and WPR, the Best of Luck for the Future.
Thanks for including WPR in your magazine. We hope to see some Irish riders try this discipline!! Cheers and stay safe!
This Interview was originally published in April 2020 Issue of Irish Sport Horse Magazine. All Pictures were provided Courtesy of Lisa Coulter.