Lisa Martin

Reason: She was approached at an open competition with an offer to get classified and compete in Para equestrian. "I was approached by someone from EA [Equestrian Australia] and he said, 'Look, you know we are really trying to find some people to see whether they'd be interested being on the Para team, would you consider it?' It sounded awful, I didn't understand Para, I had no idea. He went through it with me, [explaining that] this should be a great opportunity for them, for me, and [would] maybe [allow me] to represent my country, which is hard enough to do at the best of times." (Equestrian Hub Podcast, 24 Jul 2022; paralympic.org.au, 2016) Additional Info: INJURY RECOVERY In December 2019 she sustained multiple fractures to her pelvis, pubic bone and spine after her horse First Famous fell and landed on top of her. She spent several months in hospital and says she struggled mentally to recover during her rehabilitation. "Coming home was the most exciting experience. To come home and have your animals around you again. I remember the first time I could touch my horses, it was really emotional. I thought to myself, 'I'm not going to let this beat me. There are people out there in worse situations than me, and I refuse to let this beat me'. I'm older, I don't bounce back like I used to. And mentally it has been a bit tougher this time. I've definitely had to dig a lot deeper with this recovery." (Equestrian Hub Podcast, 24 Jul 2022; Facebook profile, 29 Apr 2022, 01 Sep 2021; eqlifemag.com.au, 07 Aug 2020; eurodressage.com, 23 Dec 2019)