The Para Equestrian Journal is a newly developing online publication dedicated to the sport of Para Equestrian; promoting the education and advancement of the sport, and following the riders, their horses, and all of the people involved in the journey to every level of competition, whether local, national, the Paralympics and beyond. A Para Equestrian is an athlete with a physical disability who c
ompetes in horse shows, from the local level up to international shows such as the Paralympics and the World Equestrian Games. Some riders become injured or ill during their life and continue their equestrian career as a Para, some are born with a disability, and some even pick the sport up later in life. There are Para riders with a large range of conditions, many of whom use modified tack and equipment to compensate for their particular physical needs. However, all Para riders prefer being viewed simply as competitive equestrians who happen to have an injury or illness to 'work around', and all work very hard and are very serious in their individual goals. Many Para riders successfully compete in 'Able Bodied' shows. The Journal will feature articles on a variety of topics, ranging from competitions, training, and clinics; health and wellness for both rider and horse; education on Therapeutic Riding, which is often a launch pad for people to begin their path to Para competition; interviews both with riders and the people who work behind the scenes to bring these dreams to a reality; and more. The publication will be an evolving project and hopes to grow into a large platform for the Para community. The Para Equestrian Journal website is currently online for PC/Mac, soon for mobile,, and it will be the first publication of it's kind, devoted solely to the Para discipline and other topics related to riders with disabilities. The publication has been started by Sarah Lewis Phoenix, who was herself an aspiring competitive Para rider with the goal of competing internationally; after her classification assessment she was determined to not qualify as a Para Equestrian. However, she is still devoted to the sport through the PEJ and is now refocusing her own goals toward Able Bodied competitive dressage.
