Para-equestrian: Chiara Zenati trots towards the final

A rider's life

With a score of 71.059, Chiara Zenati on Swing Royal*IFCE qualified for the Grade III Para-Dressage final in Tokyo. Only the eight best couples in the qualifying round proceed to the final. This is an excellent result for Chiara who started riding very young, at the age of six, at the La Courneuve riding center. This is where she is training to become an assistant riding instructor. Faithful to her intense love of horses, for which her hemiplegia will never be an obstacle, she started competing in 2017 following the advice of her trainer Brigitte Rinaldi who is one of the front-ranking para-dressage experts. Chiara Zenati competes in para-dressage but also in competitions with able-bodied riders. In 2018 she won the title of French Para-dressing Champion Club 2, and Club 1 the following year with Summerhill Boy. Of course, this success didn’t go unnoticed in the Federation which would offer her the excellent horse Swing Royal*IFCE.

On the way to the final

It is with this horse that Chiara Zenati reached the international level. Supported by the Fondation Banque populaire, she took two very fine second places at the competitions in Mâcon (France) and Genemuiden (the Netherlands). The couple improved their performance almost every time they go out, and they are now competing at the highest level worldwide. It is quite natural that Chiara – who also benefits from the advice of Sébastien Goyheneix, an écuyer (instructor) of the Cadre Noir – and Swing Royal are in Tokyo to compete in the individual Grand Prix in the grade III category where they performed brilliantly during the qualifications. They are aiming for a medal in the final, which will be held on Monday at the Baji Koen Equestrian Center. 

Photo credit G. Mirand