Chelsea Higgins
On the Road to the Paralympics in RIO 2016 & helping young Australians achieve their dreams
I’m excited to announce The Chelsea Project, which is helping to raise additional funds to give back to young Australians who have shown promise in sport and who are facing a significant financial, physical or other barrier that is standing between them and their goal.
I would never be where I am today without the amazing support from my friends and family, and so I want to give back to other young Australians who might not have the same opportunity. I hope that my story inspires them to achieve their dreams.
I was successfully competing in ‘3 star’ events across the country at only 15 years old; and was a pre-requisite for the elite squads and training under highly regarded equestrian coach, Thomas Muehlanbeck.
In September 2010 a horrific horse riding accident turned my world upside down. I spent nine days in an induced coma, with a lacerated liver, fractured scapula, bruising and internal bleeding in the brain, a perforated lung and partial paralysis down one side of my body. I have been permanently affected by the accident and suffer from short-term memory loss and processing functions, speech difficulty, impaired vision, loss of movement and some feeling on my right side and continual spasms. Doctors told me never to ride again, but that was never an option for me, as I never wanted to give up on my dream of representing Australia at the Olympics in equestrian events.
I now compete as a Grade 3 para-equestrian and I was the only Queenslander to be a member of the Australian Team at the World Equestrian Games in Dressage last year. I am training for the selections at the end of the year, which if successful will see me achieve my goal of representing Australia in equestrian dressage events at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
I was voted Queensland Para Equestrian of the year for 2012/2013 & 2014, and in 2014 my gorgeous horse, HP Comedian won Queensland horse of the year. I am proud to say I’m already doing well in the pre-qualifying event season.