This episode of In Stride is sponsored by The Equestrian College Advisor. Navigate the college search with confidence and find the right fit for both academics and riding. Visit equestriancollegeadvisor.com to learn more and book a consultation. 

In this episode of “In Stride,” Sinead is joined by five-time Paralympian Rebecca Hart. 

Rebecca Hart is a U.S. Paralympic dressage rider from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, now based in Wellington, Florida. Born with hereditary spastic paraplegia, a condition that causes progressive weakness and paralysis from the mid-back down, she has represented Team USA at five Paralympic Games: Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020, and Paris 2024. Riding Floratina, she earned individual gold medals in both the Championship and Freestyle tests in Paris and helped secure team gold for the U.S. She also won a team bronze medal at the Tokyo Games with her horse El Corona Texel.  

Rebecca reflects on her journey as a para-dressage athlete and the obstacles she’s overcome along the way, including: 

• How she first found horses, discovered dressage, and built her early foundation in the sport 

• The challenges she’s faced throughout her career and the importance of advocating for herself along the way 

• How horses helped her redefine her identity, from being labeled as disabled to seeing herself as an athlete 

• The journey to Paris with Floratina and what it meant to achieve gold medals and feel she had truly “made it” 

Join Rebecca and Sinead for a powerful conversation about resilience, self-belief, and the unwavering passion that drives success in and out of the arena.