No Strangers to Overcoming Adversity, Equestriennes Aim to Do Singapore Proud in Paris

At this year’s 2024 Paralympics in Paris, Singapore’s 10-member contingent will include three equestriennes, with stark differences between them.

The most senior among them is Laurentia Tan, 45, who will make her fifth Paralympics appearance in Paris. 

She is also the most decorated member of the team, with not only four Paralympic medals from her previous outings, but also a Public Service Medal and a Public Service Star after her two bronze medals at the 2008 Beijing Games, and her bronze and silver medals at the 2012 London Games respectively.

Laurentia Tan in her fourth Paralympics appearance in Tokyo, 2020. (Photo credit: Laurentia Tan Instagram)

Though the youngest in age at 28, Paris will be the fourth Paralympics outing for Gemma Rose Foo, following her debut in London.

Gemma Rose Foo competing in Mannheim, Germany in May 2024. (Photo credit: Gemma Rose Foo Facebook)

The debutante among the trio, meanwhile, is 35-year-old Hilary Su, who has been riding competitively for the last seven years.

Hilary at the Longines European Equestrian Federation Nations Cup (Photo credit: Singapore Chinese Girls’ School Facebook)

Yet the desire to bring sporting glory to Singapore is not the only thing common to them, but the adversities they have had to overcome to reach the highest stage of their sport, beginning as soon as they were born.

Tan developed cerebral palsy and profound deafness after birth, with doctors advising that she might never walk and might need institutional care.

Born three-and-a-half months premature, Foo weighed just 580 grams at birth, and would spend four months fighting for her life in an incubator. The premature birth also meant that she would go through life with spastic quadriplegia, the most severe form of cerebral palsy.

Although born healthy, Su developed pneumonia at birth which resulted in cerebral palsy (right hemiplegia) and epilepsy.

Their conditions meant they started riding as a form of therapy, not only to strengthen their bodies but build confidence and self-esteem, which progressed into competitive riding.

For Tan, her deafness was not an obstacle to her bagging four medals in the 2008 and 2012 Paralympics, despite the freestyle test of the equestrian dressage being performed to music, with marks given on compulsory movements, choreography and music interpretation.

As Tan said in an interview carried on the International Paralympic Committee website:

“I can’t hear the music and contrary to many people’s belief, I don’t count the steps. That would be pointless, as it would go into the late hundreds, if not thousands [of steps my horse would take] for a four-and-a-half-minute routine… I can’t hear where I am in the timing of the music, let alone whether I have more time or less time to do a certain movement. But I think it is a blessing in a way as I can just concentrate on the riding, the horse and the movements.”

Dressage, or “training” in French, is about how a rider guides a trained horse through the execution of precise movements via signals. Riders are given a score based on how they control the horse’s pace and bearing in various manoeuvres.

To achieve this, Tan relies instead on what she describes as her sense of feeling on the horse, which Foo also alluded to in an interview with The Straits Times when describing the bond between her and her steed, Banestro:

“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.”

Beyond the special bond between rider and horse, all three of them have spoken memorably about riding and how it gives them wings in another sense.

From Tan, “I may not be able to dance but on a horse we can do ballet together.”

Foo, who had “really wanted to know what it was like to run”, has something similar to add:

“With my horse, I can run, I can fly.”

For Su, who enjoys being surrounded by horses outdoors and in the countryside, says, “When I ride, I feel an adrenaline rush, especially when I go into the trot!”

Going into Paris 2024, the equestriennes have taken part in a training camp in Germany, following a demanding series of competitions in the leadup.

As with every other athlete before some of the biggest tournaments in their competitive careers, butterflies in the stomach are probably inevitable.

Su, who is anticipating her debut, will seek to overcome the pressure by treating every competition like any other.

Speaking to Tatler Asia, she said, “In the past, there’d be a lot of tension. Now, it’s just like a routine—the same thing that has to be done many times,” adding that this was a tip from none other than Laurentia Tan.

While Su will be looking to improve her personal score, Tan’s aim would surely be to better her fifth placing in the 2020 Tokyo Games, while Foo is eyeing a place in the finals.

And it would not only be their steeds that will be propelling them to glory, but the invaluable support of their family and coaches.

Tan has often spoken of the support from her family and dedicated coaches, as does Foo, who has expressed thanks for her family, coach and team in numerous social media posts.

Su also shared that the support of her teammates and coaches, as well as the team at the Equestrian Federation of Singapore, “motivates me to do better, and try to ride more accurately and score higher for my movements”. She also credits her family for supporting her on this journey.

Tan and Foo have been recipients of the spexScholarship since 2013.

Aside from an annual stipend, spexScholars receive targeted support such as overseas training camps, competitions and equipment to enable them to maximise their potential. They also remain eligible for spexGrants support provided by the SSI, like all other athletes in the carding system.

On her spexScholarship, Tan said,

“I am really honoured to be a spexScholar. It is always a privilege to represent Singapore and have the opportunity to do what I love doing. With this support, I am more able to keep myself at the optimum physically and mentally.”

Catch Tan, Foo and Su on their quest for Paralympic glory in the para-equestrian events happening from 3 September!