Roxanne Trunnell

Started: She began riding at age 10 in Washington, United States of America. She took up Para dressage in 2011. (Facebook page, 22 Aug 2018; thehorse.com, 19 Aug 2014) Reason: Her father had a friend who invited her to ride a horse when she was a child. It was later suggested to her mother that she take horse vaulting lessons to help her balance. "The vaulting instructor also gave regular riding lessons and so I started taking lessons and I was hooked. I had been a dressage rider up until I got sick and being so involved in horses meant that the people I mainly associated with were horse people as well. Not only did I think my ability to ride was over [following her illness], I feared I would need to reinvent my life without the horse community. But that was before my trainer [Diane Royce] pushed me to try Para dressage. The support from the horse community was amazing." (themulberrytree.co.uk, 31 Dec 2023; teamusa.com, 03 Jul 2023; Instagram profile, 12 Nov 2021; Facebook page, 22 Aug 2018) Ambition: To win gold at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (paralympic.org, 11 Apr 2024) Awards: In 2021 she was named Grade I Para Dressage Rider of the Year by the United States Dressage Federation [USDF]. (Instagram profile, 05 Dec 2021; usdf.org, 01 Dec 2021) She received the 2021 Whitney Stone Cup from the United States Equestrian Team [USET] Foundation. She was the first Para dressage rider to win the award, which is given annually to a rider who consistently excels at international events and becomes an ambassador for the sport through their conduct and contributions. (uset.org, 18 Jan 2021) Additional Info: TATTOOS She has a number of tattoos, including several of different warmblood horse breed brands. She also has the words 'pat your horse' on her arm. "When I was 18 I decided that if these warmbloods are going to get branded, then I would get branded. When I first started riding, all of my past able-bodied trainers drilled into my head that the horse doesn't have to let you ride them, and to always be kind to them because they are doing you a favour. [Later] I would go and watch these grand prix riders and it never failed that someone would have a bad ride and at the end of the test they wouldn't pat their horse. There's always something positive about a ride and to not reward your horse with a simple pat is just plain mean and wrong. So I got the phrase tattooed and placed where it is visible to kind of remind other riders to do this." (themulberrytree.co.uk, 31 Dec 2023; Facebook profile, 16 Jun 2021; Instagram profile, 24 Jun 2021) FURTHER EDUCATION In 2012 she graduated with a master's degree in psychology from Capella University in Minneapolis, MN, United States of America. (teamusa.org, 31 Dec 2016) OTHER ACTIVITIES She sells custom-made embroidery products through her business Roxifi Embroidery. "Anything I can get a needle through can be embroidered." (Facebook profile, 16 Jun 2021; Instagram profile, 24 Jun 2021)