As the world prepares for the Summer 2024 Olympic Games, preparations are also underway for the Paralympics occurring shortly after that.
Paralympics are a set of competitions that mirror the Olympic Games, but are intended for athletes with physical disabilities. Three of the 2024 para-equestrian team members from the USA are the same athletes who took bronze in the team category at the 2020 Paralympics.
And one of them – Roxanne Trunell, 39, of Richland, Washington – will be riding a horse owned by Karin Flint, the founder of Traverse City Horse Shows.
Trunell will be competing on Sept. 4, 6 and 7.
Of the four team members, Rebecca Hart, Kate Shoemaker and Trunell have all competed in the Paralympics at least once before. This will be Fiona Howard’s first Paralympics competition.
All four competitors have disabilities, ranging from rare genetic diseases to cerebellum ataxia, a condition Trunell developed after she suffered a virus-induced stroke at the age of 24.
As their accomplishments have shown, they not only overcome these issues on horseback, they thrive in this competitive arena.
“I think that their scores have been really strong heading into the summer, and obviously you don’t want to peak (early),” Carly Weilminster, senior director of sport communications for U.S. Equestrian, said. “I think they’re really focused right now on making sure that they stay consistent and strong and fine-tuned as we look ahead to September.”
Trunell said in an email that she hopes the team will do as well – if not better – than last time.
“But this is a team with everyone riding new horses and we have one rider who has never done a Paralympic Games,” she said. “The rest of the nations are very strong as well, so I think it’s anyone’s guess how Team USA will score, but it is looking good for the possibility of a podium finish.”
Trunell, partnered with the horse “Fan Tastico H,” also works with Flint. Their first Paralympics working together was in 2020, when Trunell brought home two individual gold medals.
“It’s wonderful working with Karin Flint, she always is making sure her horses have anything they want, be it a new blanket or a visit from a vet or chiropractor,” she said in an email. “She makes sure their needs are met.”
Flint, the founder of Traverse City Horse Shows, owned and operated it for more than a decade. Her influence is still there.
“Once the last horse leaves in September, the mindset switches to ‘OK, how can we make it better for 2025?’” Lindsay Brock, press officer with Traverse City Horse Shows, said. “And that is something that everyone notices and I think that started with Karin.
“The horse show got better each and every year under her and it has continued that.”
Brock said everyone at the Traverse City show will be rooting for her. “I think we all feel a special connection to her just because Karen supported her in the same way that she supported the shows in their early years,” Brock said.
Flint said she’s grateful to have the support of the horse show.
And to everyone cheering her, Trunell and Fan Tastico on, she said, “Thank you so much. We’ll do our best to bring home the gold!”
