Para-rider powering to success on former harness racer

By Andrew Smith

Kylie Reynolds no longer has use of her legs, but she is proving that disability is no barrier to success - all thanks to a former harness racehorse.

The 50-year-old para-rider has been taking part in dressage tests on the back of standardbred “Leroy,” who was known as Royal Shine in his racing days.

On the back of horses since the age of four, Kylie took a break from riding while in the Army for 18 years, before rediscovering her passion while helping out at a Coominya trail-riding business.

It was there that she came across Leroy, who had just retired after a 45-start career in New Zealand that netted seven victories.

“It was about five years ago, he was in a paddock in Blackbutt, and the owner was looking to move him on, she couldn't look after him anymore,” Kylie said.

“He'd only just finished racing in New Zealand, and then got moved out to Australia, but never raced, and he was sold on.

“He was a pushy old thing sitting in the paddock and if you went anywhere near his food, he'd bite you, but there was just something about him that I liked and we brought him home.

“I was an able-bodied person at that stage and he was a very unbalanced horse, but we worked with an off-the-track coach who joined us on the journey — she helped me find my balance and develop new skills.”

It was April 2022 when Kylie was diagnosed with Functional Neurological Disorder, a condition in which the brain has problems in sending and receiving information from the rest of the body.

It led to Kylie being placed into a wheelchair as a lower-level paraplegic, with no signal going from her brain to her legs.

But it was not long before she was quite literally back on the horse and looking positive about the future.

“I would have been two weeks out of hospital and they said, ‘try doing everything you did before, and hopefully your movement might get back in your legs,’ ” Kylie said.

“And within two weeks out of hospital, they threw me back on a horse - the leg movement never came back but this off-the-track standardbred ended up becoming a para-riding horse.

“We used a scissor lift to get me on and off the horse, and taught him that this was a new mounting block.

“I had to figure out my balance and he had to figure out how to hold me, because it's not like being able-bodied, where you can get on and use both legs on either side.

“We've had to figure out our journey together, what our aids are and what they all mean.”

Since then, the pair have not looked back, with Kylie paying homage to the former pacer for his calm and caring nature, and his ability to recognise if she is suffering.

“There’s multiple times that I'm meant to be riding, and my mood or emotions  might be all over the shop, whether it's depression or anxiety - but when I'm around Leroy, he is a calming influence,” Kylie said. 

“If I have an episode on his back, he just stops and waits, and looks at a person on the ground and says ‘come deal with this on my back’ - he holds me solid and hasn't put a step wrong with me on his back.

“He's gone from pacer on the racetrack through to a mount that is voice-controlled…he's not the most glamorous-looking or best dressage horse going around, but learning together and learning how to do things, he has been the best horse ever.

“As much as standardbreds are not the type of horses designed for dressage, they have got the temperament and the mannerisms that can support someone starting their riding journey, whether it's able-bodied or para.

“This particular horse has the right headspace to be able to go, ‘Yep, I'm going to look after my rider, and I'm going to support her no matter what she's trying to do,’ and I believe most standardbreds have got that sort of temperament.”

Assisting Kylie along the way has been equestrian coach Emily Morgan-Brown.

The former Queensland Off-The-Track Acknowledged Retrainer works alongside Kylie’s wife Susan in the husbandry of Leroy and helping the para-rider on and off her mount.

Emily said adjusting her methods from coaching an able-bodied rider had been a learning curve for herself as well as Kylie.

“When you are coaching an able-bodied rider, you can stand in the middle of the arena, bark your orders, and then when you're done, you walk away,” Emily said.

“With Kylie not having the use of her legs, we have to adapt and try and find a new signal and a new way for Leroy to understand it.

“Once she is on, Leroy is her legs so I can sit back in a coach-instructor type capacity, and try to manipulate how new aids are coming in for Leroy to understand.

“A year ago when I came in, there were still elements that Kylie was still a little bit nervous in…but we've watched her balance and her confidence go from strength to strength, and it's been a pleasure to be a part of.”

Three years since starting out together, Kylie and Leroy completed their first dressage test earlier this year.

The pair also recently took part in the Caboolture Dressage Group’s Off The Track Feature and Members & Participants Dressage Event at the Queensland State Equestrian Centre.

The day was sponsored by the Queensland Off-The-Track Program, with the funding used by the club to issue ribbons and prize money to the OTT riders.

Over 120 dressage tests were held across four arenas throughout the day, including 32 OTT horses and riders, many of whom were new riders attending the event due to the QOTT support.

Kylie was one of three para-riders on the day, competing in the Grade Three classes, with her and Leroy slowly improving each time they step into the arena.

“Every time I've ridden, I've improved my score by two to four percent every time, which has been phenomenal for me,” Kylie said.

“It was also the first time that I participated in an able-bodied test, and we came fourth out of nine riders. 

“We're just starting at the bottom in the para journey, and we're just trying to get to every competition and every member's day and trying to improve, which we have been doing.

“It was just overwhelming - the fact that we actually got there on the day was amazing, to get on the horse was even better, and to finish my test was just exhilarating.”

As for what the future holds, Kylie says the pair will continue to improve their dressage scores and hopefully one day be able to compete at the para-equestrian level.

“At this point in time my disability is unclassifiable with the para-equestrian community, but we have submitted our paperwork and we will keep trying,” Kylie said.

“It could be a year or it could be five years, but I'm going to keep trying for my classification.

“Now we’ve done a dressage test and are starting to compete, we can obtain higher classes, and higher grades, and we will just see what levels we can get to.

“I can try whatever I want to try, whether it's trail riding, whether it's Pony Club, dressage tests - there's no limits to what we can try and do, we’ve just got to keep having a go at whatever we can do and see how well we can do it…the world’s my oyster.”

It is Kylie’s determination and willingness to keep living her life and push to see what she and Leroy are capable of that has left those around her in awe.

“Honestly, she is an inspiration - my husband's a veteran, and we’ve got group of friends that are veterans, and they all talk about how inspirational Kylie is,” Emily said.

“I can only say that going through anything, whether it be something that becomes a disorder or an accident or anything that puts you into the physical-disability kind of era, it's not the end of your life.

“Yes, that door's closed, but there's always another one and it's up to you to whether you can still walk through it, roll through it, or do whatever, but it's up to you to take it, and Kylie very much has.”