Desire and dedication are key qualities in Alanna Flax-Clark’s pursuit of para-dressage excellence, but pure determination—along with a super horse–is equally important, as she demonstrated during the Adequan®/USEF Para Dressage CPEDI3* National Championship last weekend.
Alanna Flax-Clark and Taco. (Photo©2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
The former special education teacher had her career in education come to an abrupt end in 2008 when she suffered a life-threatening infection with a temperature spiking at 106 degrees. Afterward, she couldn’t sit up unsupported, experienced trouble breathing, was unable to talk and walk, and couldn’t use her hands.
She was frustrated with unsuccessful efforts at rehabilitation.
“Nothing was really helping me,” she remembered. Then she turned to horses, even though she had no equestrian background.
“I knew about hippotherapy (equine-assisted therapy) from being a special ed teacher. It was always the best time of the week for my students,” she said.
“For me, not having my voice was really difficult. Trying to work in a clinical setting, I couldn’t communicate with the therapists. Getting on a horse, you don’t need to verbalize.”
Her riding experience “opened up a whole different world to me,” she said, and eventually found she was able to talk again.
At first, Alanna could only stay aboard the horse for five minutes, with people holding her on. But she progressed, noting the movement of the horse, which most closely matches the human gait, is therapeutic. “When you’re sitting on a horse, it sends those signals to your brain and your spinal cord,” she observed.
Wanting to do more, Alanna went on to para-dressage. Eventually, she was able to regain her independence, leaving her California home and her family as she struck out on her own. Alanna moved across the country so she could train with Sara Schmitt in Califon.
Sara Schmitt adjusts Taco’s bridle. (Photo©2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
Now she’s seeking a berth on the U.S. team for next year’s Paralympics in Tokyo. Alanna is ranked 11th in the world in para Grade II, a designation for those who walk and trot in competition.
So her first national championship at the Tryon, N.C., International Equestrian Center was a big deal for the 36-year-old Glen Gardner resident, who has been competing only since mid-2017. The show started out well. She finished third in her first test, earning 67.778 percent with her cute chestnut Dutch riding pony El Paso, affectionately known as Taco.
“He was nice and forward, the gaits were the best I’ve ever gotten out of him,” she recalled, adding U.S. para coach Michel Assouline and others watching noticed that she and Taco had come a long way.
But trouble struck the next day.
Alanna, whose condition means she can’t close her fingers to hold the reins in the usual fashion, puts her hands through loops on the reins to guide her horse. She was well into the test and doing the stretch walk when the left loop of her reins came off the buckle and she fell forward onto Taco’s neck.
“As I tried to regain my balance, I was like, `What do I do? I have no loop and can’t really put them on myself.’”
Tuned in to his rider, Taco didn’t falter.
“The entire time, I was trying to figure out what to do, he stood still in the middle of the ring. I don’t know what I did. It was hot and humid and my glasses were steamed up and I couldn’t see.” Yet Alanna didn’t think about leaving the arena.
Somehow, “I was able to figure out a way to kind of get it (the loop) on, but only on the tightest hole. Normally, it’s on the sixth hole away from his mouth, but I could only get it on first hole, which was super tight.”
How did she do it? “When you’re in high pressure situations, you figure out how to get things done,” she responded.
Meanwhile, however, her reins were uneven, because the loop on her right rein was on the fifth hole, and it was time for the trot portion of her test.
“I wanted to have the best trot I could without falling off,” she said.
Taco soldiered on, even though “his head was completely back to the left and at the end of the test, I had to turn right to go down centerline.”
While Taco may have been confused, “he worked with me really well and was able to maintain a nice balanced trot. I was dead set on finishing the test, which I did. I was super proud of my horse for staying still while I was able to figure out how to finish the test,” she said.
“I had absolutely no reins for about a minute and a half. He could have just taken off. For me to be able to trust him and stay calm under pressure and figure out what to do–being able to handle the situation was a good test of our relationship. How we handled the situation was much more meaningful to me than the score that we got. It’s a great feeling to be able to trust your horse completely.”
Another experience tested her ability and resolve on the final day in Tryon. She had been behind the music in her new freestyle when she practiced it at home, but at the show, she got ahead of the music, so she had to do some improvisation.
Under pressure, she was forced to quickly figure out, “Do I need to do a 10-meter circle or do I have enough time to add in a 20-meter circle? I had to throw in a lot of new movements to make it all work. It was hard work but for me, to be able to do that and maintain my nerve, was a good test. I’m still brand new to this sport.”
Her relationship with Sara has been instrumental in her progress.
“She knew how to push me and get the best out of me,” explained Alanna, who mounts Taco from her wheelchair with Sara’s assistance. She also gives credit to those at Sara’s barn, who rallied around her and helped. The rider has been pleased that dressage shows in the area added para classes for her, if they weren’t originally on the schedule.
“No one has said no. It’s been really welcoming.”
Alanna usually is smiling when she rides Taco. (Photo©2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
Sara, who is both a driver and a dressage competitor, as well as a judge, has coached two world championships for para-driving and got to know Alanna through a para driver, Diane Kastama. She offered Alanna a horse to lease for the winter, and then found Taco for her, a perfect fit for the 5-foot, 2-inch rider.
“I didn’t realize how little show experience she had,” said Sara, who has brought Alanna along to gain more mileage. She also taught Taco voice commands, which are legal under the rules for Alanna to use and give her another tool in working with her horse.
Alanna is working as special projects manager for Mane Stream (manestreamnj.org) in Oldwick, which serves individuals with physical, developmental, emotional and medical challenges through equine-assisted activities, therapy services and educational initiatives. Part of her job involves collaborating with schools, groups and adaptive sports organizations. In terms of community outreach, she’s also a great example of the therapeutic benefits of working with horses.
“She is fantastic to have on staff,” said Mane Stream’s executive director, Trish Hegeman.
“Her personality is great to be around. She’s very much a doer. You give her something and she’s tenacious. She tries to find opportunities to make connections in the community. Some of that is using the resources she has and groups she’s already connected with. Some of it is just looking for places where we can do a display at a community event.”
As Trish noted, “People are curious about her, especially if she’s wearing her Mane Stream gear. It’s like a conversation opener. When they find out she rides horses and is training for the Paralympics, she becomes a little bit of a rock star and people want to know more about what she’s doing. It’s a wonderful segue to have her talk about what we do here at Mane Stream and point them in our direction for a great community resource that’s right in their backyard.”
When working on her fitness off the horse, Alanna goes to Project Walk in Mt. Laurel (projectwalknj.com), where she works with Daniella Raovfogel, who has a master’s degree in occupational therapy.
“My body gets super tight and stiff,” said Alanna, “so the first part is all stretching and massage, which is what I need. None of it is covered by insurance, which is difficult.” The number of times she can go to Project Walk each month depends on her time and budget.
In terms of her condition, she mentions, “I don’t know if it will ever improve dramatically, but working on maintaining where I am and the riding and staying active is always good. But I have to learn to find a balance of when to back off and rest, because I like to do a lot of things.”
Daniella said Alanna has function of her arms, except for her hands, but has no function of her lower extremities. She focuses on core stability “because she needs that when she rides,” explained Daniella.
“With any activity you do, you need to have a really strong core because that sets the tone for everything else.”
Workouts mimic riding where Alanna sits on a barrel and does a lot of balance exercises. To heighten awareness of her body, she closes her eyes and functions without her vision, while spotters make sure she doesn’t fall.
“She works hard and has great determination,” said Daniella, who understands Alanna’s interest in going to Tokyo.
“I think it’s an amazing goal to have in the forefront. I definitely can see her at the Paralympics.”
