Sue Cunningham - Ground Jury Member Paris 2024

With the Paris Paralympic Games now just days away, Australian equestrian enthusiasts are taking a keen interest in the selected combinations that will represent our country in Para-Dressage and while there is no mistaking that the riders and horses will be the stars in Paris, events such as the Olympic and Paralympic Games rely on experienced and respected officials to fulfill a number of important roles, ensuring that the best and fairest outcomes are achieved.

Equestrian Australia caught up with Para-Equestrian Official, Suzanne (Sue) Cunningham who accepted the FEI’s invitation to be a part of the 2024 Para Equestrian Technical Committee as a member of the Judging Panel.  We asked Sue to explain how she got involved in equestrian sport and what prompted her work with Para riders following the FEI’s 2006 decision to bring this arm of equestrian under its control.

Sue said, “I was passionate about horses from early childhood and had lessons at a riding school and went anywhere that gave me an opportunity to sit on a horse.  My parents loved animals but had no way of supporting horse ownership, so that had to wait until I had finished school.  My parents hoped that by that time my obsession would have gone away, but sadly for them the passion deepened and grew even stronger following the purchase of my first horse.  As soon as I was able, I joined pony club and progressed to hacking and showing, as did most horse-mad teenage girls at that time.

In my 20’s, I travelled quite a bit and was able to ride horses in the UK and South Africa and made riding a priority wherever there was an opportunity to be around horses. I spent 7 exciting months with a friend riding a motor bike from the UK to Australia. We travelled through Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and arrived back home via Singapore. A short time after my return, I was riding horses and establishing my career. A role in Sales and Marketing with 3M Australia gave me knowledge of IT processes that has been invaluable in my various equestrian roles. 

I was fortunate enough to attend the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games and watched Reiner Klimke (Ahlerich, Germany) and Anna Greta Jensen (Marzog, Denmark) ride for their country as individuals, then perform a demonstration pas de deux to music. This inspirational experience was a “light-bulb” moment and I knew that Dressage was my passion! 

Back in Australia, I rode everyone else's horses until I found a horse that turned out to be my life partner. He came in the form of a black off-the-track thoroughbred and this beautiful horse raced as Mazir and became Grand Alliance in the show ring.  He was always Zeedee to me and he took me to Lady Rider classes at Sydney Royal Shows, we hunted for 5 years and concurrently competed in Dressage up to Prix St George. I had the most fun anyone could have with their horse and he will always have a special place in my heart.

Following his passing, there were other young horses and I continued to ride until heart issues caused me to reconsider my future as a rider. I decided to use my knowledge to give back to the sport, and so began my judging career. In those days it took 13 years to become a National A-Level (Grand Prix) Judge. 
 
The support and encouragement of Judy Cubitt and Carolyn Lieutenant was responsible for driving me towards Para judging and I found myself in this fascinating new area of Dressage. I had personal experience with the challenges faced by people with disabilities and understood that they can do anything if the right help is available to them. My father had one leg and I never thought that people with a disability were any different to people in my own family. This made the move to Para equestrian seamless and logical for me.  

Being in the right place at the right time helped me to get my start and in 2014 I was invited by EA and the FEI to become a member of the FEI Para Equestrian Technical Committee, on which I served from 2014-2017. One of my roles was to create awareness of the differences between countries like Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the USA and the specific needs of the Para riders in these places so that decisions made by the FEI were more inclusive and worked as part of the European Para collective.

During my time on the Committee, I wrote the Para Dressage tests that were used after the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games. I have attended several Para Equestrian Forums in Germany and the UK and was also a member of the FEI Para Education Committee, responsible for setting exams and developing education programs and I was promoted by the FEI Para Technical Committee to 5*, Level 4, which then took me to Tryon, USA in 2018 for the World Equestrian Games, Herning in Denmark, Tokyo, the UK, France, Italy and Germany. I accepted the FEI’s invitation to judge at the Tokyo Olympic Games, however, the travel problems due to the Covid 19 Pandemic presented me with two options, leave immediately OR delay my return to Australia until November. With family issues pressing, I had no choice but to leave immediately, so did not get to judge."

Above: The Tokyo Paralympic Officials in 2021 from Sue Cunningham’s personal collection.

"In 2023, I was again elected to the FEI Para Technical Committee where I am still employed, and again my task was to write the Para Dressage tests for Grades I, II and III.  These will be released in 2027 after a classification review.

In 2019, Jenny Carroll and her committee (of which I was a member), presented the aligned concepts of RDA and Para in an application for a Government Grant to set up a pathway to equestrian sport for people with a disability.  Our passion and camaraderie were rewarded, we won the grant and set up Equibility.  Covid 19 issues slowed down release of this program, but it eventually got underway 2 years ago.  It is now providing para riders an opportunity for participation in our sport without the rigours of classification. They can start at a very basic level and share horses and evaluate how they will be a part of the sport.

I have now begun my Equestrian Australia coaching career and have one small step to go to complete the work required to become a Coach Educator for Dressage. The Board of Equestrian NSW invited me to join and I am now in my second term on the Board. I have been a committee member of Dressage NSW for many years and a Judge Coordinator for 15 years, but have now stepped down from this this role. During my time with Dressage NSW, I was responsible for judge education and still have involvement as supporting judges is something I feel strongly about.

I am currently the Director for Education for Malaysia, a position I have held for 14 years, and for some time I also worked in Singapore.  Again, judge education is my passion and as equestrian sport becomes more “international” it is vital to develop countries that do not have traditions in the sport. We are working to support and develop Para riders in Malaysia and Singapore and these countries are well placed for a bright future as they have some excellent riders coming through the ranks.

I was thrilled to be invited by the FEI to be a Technical Delegate at the 2024 Paris Games.  The Para equestrians are a hard-working group and we are seeing the specialist training and the collaborative efforts of the international administration improve the opportunities for riders with disabilities. 

I wish all Australian representatives in Paris a safe and happy time and equestrian fans a wonderful experience. I thank Equestrian Australia for sharing a little of my history with members and general enthusiasts."