New horse, new challenge for Singapore equestrienne Gemma Foo
Team Singapore’s athletes kick off their campaign at the Paralympic Games in Paris on Aug 28, when the 10-member contingent aim to deliver brilliant and inspiring moments on para sports’ biggest stage. In the last of ST’s Paralympic series, equestrienne Gemma Foo talks about the importance of her relationship with her steed.
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Singapore Paralympic equestrienne Gemma Rose Foo hopes to showcase the talents of her new horse in future.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
SINGAPORE – Dressage is often described as a dance, of athlete and horse, both in sync with each other in a partnership that demands skill and precision.
For Singapore equestrienne Gemma Foo, having to retire her six-year partnership with her gelding, Cassis Royal, was therefore a big moment in her career.
The 28-year-old, who will compete in the dressage individual and team event at the Paris Paralympics, said: “Cassis Royal retired about three years ago, before the Tokyo Paralympics, and I’ve been riding my teammate’s (Hilary Su) horse, Banestro since.
“We have a strong relationship, because we know each other’s signals very well. He’s a very sweet horse, and he’s always looking for carrots and treats.”
Working with a new horse can take years and, while Foo is currently training a seven-year-old mare, she is still searching for the right horse.
She added: “We have a new horse (Mona Lisa), but she’s still young. So, hopefully, we get to showcase more of her talents in the next couple years.
“We have a very strict routine. We train every day until the lead up to the competitions, with maybe a day or two of rest for the horses.”
Dressage means “training” in French, and the sport involves the execution of precise movements by a trained horse in response to signals from its rider. Riders are judged on their control of the horse’s pace and bearing in performing walks, trots, canters and more specialised manoeuvres.
It is a sport that Foo – who has spastic quadriplegia, the most severe form of cerebral palsy – has taken to since she started riding at eight as part of her therapy with the Riding for the Disabled Association Singapore.
After progressing to para-dressage, Foo went on to compete in her first competition in 2008 at the Singapore Disability Sports Council National Disability League.
She made her Paralympic debut at the 2012 London Games and will feature in her fourth edition in Paris.
Ahead of the Games, Foo took part in a training camp in Germany with her teammates – Paralympic medallist Laurentia Tan and Su. She will ride Banestro in the individual event – Grade I and team event.
“I would have to get some exercises in between rides, just to keep my body supple and more relaxed in the saddle, because we are in the sport where the horse can feel our every movement,” she said.
“And, with my disability, sometimes it’s a bit hard for me to control my body, so those exercises really help.
“It’s been a really busy year, we’ve gone for at least four or five competitions this year in the lead up to Paris, and I’m really looking forward to showcasing all our hard work throughout the year.”
Her target is to qualify for the finals, where she will get to compete to the music of her choice.
She added: “I would say it’s (the Paris edition) probably one of the highlights of my career, because I’ll be competing in Versailles, which is a place not many people can say they have competed in; within the palace gardens.
“So it’s exciting and, this being my fourth time, some people would call me a veteran. But, at the same time, I’m just me, I’m just competing, I’m doing this for the country and I’m doing the best that I can.”
With stalwarts like Tan and Foo among Singapore’s equestrian team, Foo hopes that more riders will join them and their steeds. She added: “We’re always looking for new riders who show talent and interest in the sport and as a member of the first Singaporean team in para-equestrian, I hope to see more diversity in our sport.”
