Dressage Rider Rebecca Hart Doesn’t Let Her Disability Define Who She Is
Rebecca Hart was born with a progressive genetic disease that causes her muscles to waste away, stiffness and paralysis in the legs, and nerve pain — but this disability hasn’t stopped her from becoming an elite dressage Paralympian.
Hart, who has hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP), has competed in Wellington and around the world, including three Paralympics and four World Equestrian Games. The 2018 WEG in Tryon, North Carolina, was one of her most memorable.
“It was a historic moment for me to be able to get the first WEG medal for the United States, and to be able to do that on home turf with my dad watching made it even more special,” the 35-year-old Hart said. “It was the first major event that he had been able to attend. We had a running joke that if I got a medal, he got to keep it as payment for all my lessons as a kid. Winning bronze and silver medals at the 2018 WEG is something I will never forget. My dad let me keep the medals. He’s a good guy. I have them in a shadow box in my house.”
Hart speaks candidly about her disability and works hard every day to keep herself in shape.
“The functionality of my body will continue to deteriorate. I feel it most in my balance, coordination and leg strength,” said Hart, who grew up in Pittsburgh and graduated from Penn State in 2009. “But through being active and maintaining my fitness by riding and working in the gym, I have been able to compensate and adapt, to a point, as the HSP progresses. Unfortunately, there isn’t anything that you can take to keep it from progressing. I use a cane if I am standing at an event or party. It allows me to balance and be able to focus on the people I am with rather than having to focus on not falling down.”
In addition to her 2018 success at WEG, Hart also qualified for the U.S. Paralympic team in 2008, 2012 and 2016. She wants to make it four in a row with the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo.
She is a strategic competitor, according to Rowan O’Riley, who owns Hart’s top two horses and is a Grand Prix dressage competitor herself. O’Riley had been attending para-dressage shows to watch a friend compete when she became aware of Hart’s skill as an athlete and competitor. She soon agreed to sponsor Hart.
“When Becca is training, she considers her competition in the world rankings and the environments in which she expects to compete,” O’Riley said. “She takes into account weather, travel, type of stadium, time of day, all the things that might affect her performance, and then designs her training program to bring her horses to their peak performance under those conditions. When something doesn’t go as planned, she comes to me the next day with an action plan to address whatever the problem is. If her ride was affected when her horse spooked at the flowers in the arena, then Becca will ride for the next month outdoors and at various arenas with all different kinds of planters, bushes and flowers until the horse is no longer sensitive about the flowers. She is very practical and action oriented. She is a problem-solver.”
Hart and O’Riley have formed a plan for 2020, which is focused on qualifying for Tokyo.
Hart will participate in two classes at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival in Wellington and use the rest of the winter season to compete in the national classes to prepare for the final observation and selection of the U.S. team in June at Tryon.
Hart’s top horse is El Corona Texel (Tex), an 11-year-old Dutch warmblood gelding that she and O’Riley found in Holland three years ago.
“We had been looking at horses in Europe and saw several nice horses, but had not yet found the ‘one,’” Hart recalled. “It can be challenging to find the right para-horse, as there are many qualities and attributes that you are looking for.”
Hart was looking at horse videos and saw one of Tex on YouTube and loved his athleticism and movement. He was about an hour away from where they were staying, so they set up an appointment to look at him.
“He did not immediately understand all of my cues, which are different from traditional, able-bodied cues, but he always gave me some sort of answer,” Hart said. “Tex’s willingness to try and his attempt to understand what I was asking for, in addition to his looks and movement, made me feel confident that a partnership with this horse could work.”
Hart believes that the AGDF in Wellington is an important cog because of its incredible schedule that gives everyone a lot of exposure with minimal travel stress on the horses.
“Global prepared me for other events by giving me access to an international stadium with the highest level of judges, without always having to go to Europe,” Hart said. “We can get the horses used to having atmosphere and audiences with the facilities at Global. It is an incredible resource.”
Hart’s typical day isn’t for the faint-hearted. She normally gets up at 3:30 a.m. and heads to work at the Starbucks store at the corner of Wellington Trace and Forest Hill Blvd. Starbucks is one of her sponsors. “I usually open the store at 4:30 a.m., and I’m there until about 10:30 a.m.,” said Hart, who works there five days a week. “After Starbucks, I go and work with my horses. The schedule with them depends on if we are showing that week or not. After I am done riding, I usually go to the gym and work with my trainer Matt Otero. I am a strong believer that we have to work on ourselves as athletes, just as much as we work on our horses. I am also [four-time Olympic bronze medalist] Robert Dover’s assistant and work with him in relation to his company Robert Squared. It’s a full day, but I love it.”
Hart became a year-round Wellington resident four years ago and has immersed herself in what the area has to offer.
“When I do get a moment to take a break, I love to go to the ocean,” said Hart, who is also planning to look into the Tiger Sharks, a sled hockey team based in Lake Worth. “I find [the beach] very peaceful and relaxing. I like to go early and grab breakfast at the Dune Deck and then spend some time at the beach. I also love to go to the Kravis Center for a show or concert when I can.”
Hart also speaks on behalf of the HSP Foundation. “I try and get people to realize that HSP is only one small part of who they are,” Hart said. “It can hit people in different ways, but for me it hits mainly from the mid-back down. You do not have to let your disability or condition, whatever it is, define or control who you are or what you do in this life.”
Spoken like a true champion.
Learn more about Rebecca Hart at www.rebeccahartequestrian.com.
