Wishing all her many supporters a happy Easter, Liz Halliday writes, “I am continuing to make steady progress in my recovery, and being back home at my farm has been such a major lift to my spirits. My communication is still a daily challenge, and I’m bringing you this update with help from my wonderful support team.”
Liz suffered a traumatic brain injury in a cross-country fall at the American Eventing Championships in August 2025, and has spent many months in hospitals and rehab.
But you can’t keep her down, and she’s back on a horse.
“I am now riding at home three days a week, thanks to my lovely team member Melissa, who looks after my retired horses at the farm. She has graciously allowed me to ride her sweet Brewer, and I can’t tell you how incredible it feels to ride in my own arena again for the first time in so long.
Above all, my heart is so full because we just welcomed Deniro Z back to the farm.
Liz Halliday is back in the saddle.
“Sitting on him again has been the highlight of my year. You all know how much Niro meant to me in launching my career to the next level, and having him with me makes my life feel a bit more back to normal.”
Last week, she went to the beautiful TerraNova Equestrian Center on Florida’s west coast to be graded to compete in Para Dressage.
“The grading didn’t involve riding this time, but did allow officials to assess which group I belong in from a capability standpoint at this stage in my recovery. I am proud to say that I am now officially an FEI Grade 2 Para Dressage rider!”
Liz explained, “The Grade 2 FEI tests are based on movements at the walk and trot, and judging is based largely on the quality of the horse and its performance. The tests are long and quite complex, and I’ve started practicing movements at home with the anticipation to dive back into competing this year.”
She met Para riders at TerraNova and called them, “an impressive group: resilient, friendly, and dedicated horsewomen. It was an amazing feeling to be with elite athletes who are living with and overcoming the same challenges that I am. We all know much more about the amazing sport of Para Dressage now and are ready to start digging into it. This is an exciting new direction in my career, and I’m so happy to be able to compete again. Onward and upward!”