PARA dressage rider Flis Marriott, 44, from Bodmin, has claimed fourth place in her first Grade 1 Gold (Grand Prix B) national final.

Flis has been tetraplegic since 2008 after suffering a traumatic spinal injury whilst working on a beach. A qualified occupational therapist, Flis first sat on a horse in 2014 and, just one year later, was competing in Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) competitions at county, regional and national level.

Flis’s horse, Seran, joined her in 2018 and the pair have enjoyed great success.

“We first started competing in para dressage in 2022 at bronze level and, in 2023, became triple national champions in the bronze, silver and bronze dressage to music classes,” said Flis.

“This year we competed in the summer gold against international, GB squad and Paralympic riders and came 4th with a really good score.”

As a GLL Sport Foundation (GSF) athlete in Cornwall, Flis enjoys a range of benefits that include free access to any of GLL’s leisure facilities nationwide.

“Being a GSF athlete enables me to do gym and fitness classes at Bodmin Leisure Centre. That helps me both physically and mentally to be the best I can be for riding.

“I’ve used GSF funding for equipment and competitions because it takes a big team to get Seran and I competing and the support GLL provides is an important part of that.”

As well as training for para dressage events, Flis has recently taken up target shooting.

“Seran was struggling with injury at the beginning of this year, and I needed a way of staying competitive whilst also increasing my gym and fitness classes,” she said.

“I decided to start bench rest target shooting on a local indoor 25yard range which helps me be more present and mindful when I’m riding because of the focus required. I’m now excited about both sports.”