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Para Driving
An FEI Grade I para carriage driver who finished 9th at her first World Championships, in her first competitive season.
A second sport
Amanda took up para carriage driving in 2024, introduced to the sport by the Para Equestrian Foundation. It was a big leap: a new discipline, new horses and a whole new set of skills. She didn’t start competing until April 2025.
In 2025 she took a short sabbatical from dressage. “My body can’t cope with the competitive demands of two disciplines at the same time,” she explained. With Menai Lone Ranger (Ranger for short), owned by Averina Snow, she set out on what she called “a rather ambitious equestrian adventure”.
Looking ahead, Amanda is training on borrowed horses, with Charlie Parker King as her back-stepper. On 12 October 2026 she starts the indoor driving season with Iven, a borrowed pony she has never competed before, working towards the indoor finals.
For 2027 she aims to buy her own horse or loan one to compete. She needs at least three selection events plus national competitions to be considered for the FEI Para Driving World Championships in Poland. See the 2027 plan.
World Championships, 2025
That adventure took her all the way to the FEI Para Driving World Championships in Lähden, Germany, in September 2025, driving for Great Britain just six months after her first competition.
| Phase | Penalties | Place |
|---|---|---|
| Dressage | 53.84 | 10th |
| Marathon | 103.65 | 6th |
| Cones | 32.08 | 12th |
| Overall | 189.57 | 9th of 17 |
Grade I individual results. Source: official results.
That December the 2025 British para driving squad, Amanda included, received the Riding for the Disabled Association’s Birt Spooner Cup, recognising how the group has inspired more disabled people to take up driving.
What is para driving?
Para drivers sit on a carriage pulled by a single horse or pony and take on three phases:
- Dressage: a set test of accuracy, rhythm and obedience.
- Marathon: a cross-country route through hazards against the clock.
- Cones: a precision course of narrow gates, where every knock costs penalties.
Classification
Para driving has two grades. Grade I is for the most impaired drivers, Grade II for those least affected by their impairment. Every international team must include at least one Grade I driver.
Amanda is FEI Grade I. She drives with compensating aids: a lap belt, and a groom who can use the whip and operate the brakes.
