Bryanna Tanase
"I am a Grade 1 Paradressage Rider and USEF Adult Amateur currently based at Quantum Leap Farm in Odessa, FL, and Emerald M Therapeutic Riding Center in Brooksville, FL. I was born with spastic diplegic Cerebral Palsy and diagnosed with it at 11 months old. I have loved horses since I was a little girl captivated by a palomino pony on a preschool farm trip, but wasn't able to start riding regularly until I was 17 years old because there wasn't a safe place for me to ride near my childhood home. During the 14 years that I was not around horses except for zoo pony rides and occasionally piggybacking with my mom on vacation trail rides, I immersed myself in learning as much as I could about horses as I could through books, movies, and the internet. It was at this time that I discovered dressage, and a bit later, paradressage. I had been learning about dressage for a while and was curious to see if any people with disabilities were competing in dressage. So my 10 or 11-year-old self typed ""disabled dressage rider"" into Google and was pleasantly surprised at what I found. After watching Rebecca Hart, Roxanne Trunnell, and more dancing in the arena with their horses, I knew that this was something I had to pursue and excel in. In April of 2016, I took my first step towards my childhood dream when my parents enrolled me in Quantum's therapeutic riding program, and I haven't looked back since.
I gave myself time to learn the basics of riding, adjust to riding independently, practice the basics of the discipline of dressage, and get comfortable being around horses. In 2019, I began my transition from therapeutic riding to paradressage sport by taking my first ride in a dressage saddle, learning to hold the reins with both hands and how to do a direct and opening rein. I also started building my team and making professional connections, In January 2020, I received my national paradressage classification at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival. From there, things started to blossom. I continued to get stronger as a rider, even with four months off of riding during the pandemic, and making connections. Towards the end of 2020, I joined Emerald M Therapeutic Riding Center as a participant so that I could train in dressage more consistently and incorporate hippotherapy into my riding schedule to gain a better sense of body awareness as well as strengthen my body. By December 2020, I had entered my first dressage show with Shane, an American Paint Horse at Quantum, thanks to the USEF/USPEA virtual judging program, which has been an absolute godsend along with all the other virtual shows that have surfaced. Most recently, Cappy (the Welsh x TB I ride at Emerald M) and I entered the Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center Virtual Dressage show and took home the blue ribbon in the class with a 69.7%. This is my very first blue ribbon, and I'm so excited to see where our journey takes us next!
When I am not at the barn or keeping up with my personal equine education, I am sharing my story and passionately advocating for greater inclusion of paraequestrians in equestrian media and the horse industry at large through social media and writing articles for various outlets including US Equestrian, Kerrits Equestrian Apparel, Horse & Hound and more. I want people in the industry and outside of it that paraequestrians are just like any other equestrian athlete. We love the horses we work with, have big dreams, and train hard to reach them any chance we get. Ableism (the favoring of the able-bodied) is apparent in the horse industry, and I am working tirelessly to create positive change , as well as educate others about disability and paraequestrianism. Paraequestrians put in so much effort every day to reach their goals, even on days when our impairments are working against us. We are just as capable as our able-bodied counterparts; we just need a space that is welcoming and accessible to us so that we can reach our full potential. We are so much more than our disabilities, we are real people that do our best to thrive in a world that wasn't built with us in mind. The barn should be a place where people from all walks of life are accepted as they are, regardless of ability and experience. Horses and horse sports are for everyone."
Sports
- Equestrian/Horseback Riding
City
- Tarpon Spgs
