Horse hero Para dressage star Athene Lindebjerg

The doyenne of para dressage who likes to be treated like a princess

ATHENE LINDEBJERG has earned a place in the record books as one of the most successful para horses ever, unbeaten in 34 international starts and a Paralympic and European gold medallist.

In para grade I, only walk is required and this is where Athene scores so highly — she glides like a panther with a huge overtrack in her step. The fact that she is black and beautiful just adds to her charisma in the arena.

“Finding a good grade I para horse is like finding a needle in a haystack,” says owner Di Redfern. “In December 2013, Mette Assouline went to see her mother and sent me a video of Athene. I liked all three paces. She’s the sweetest, kindest mare — I wasn’t keen on mares until I got her.”

After being successfully competed in able-bodied dressage with the Assoulines’ rider Jess Thompson, Athene went to multimedallist Sophie Christiansen, and the pair won European and Paralympic gold in 2015 and 2016.

Athene suffered a lifethreatening bout of colic a week after she returned from Rio,

which required an operation to treat a twisted gut. Fortunately, she made a good recovery.

In 2017, the ride passed to Julie Payne. The partnership gelled and the pair won triple gold at the European championships.

“I’ve never sat on anything with so much fluidity and suppleness. She is kind and genuine and it seems to get better every time

I ride her. She’s quite a sensitive lady and gets upset if she does something wrong,” says Julie.

Although, according to Julie, Athene likes to be treated like a princess, she leads a normal life, living at home with Di and being taken care of by Helen Burt. She does polework and goes on hacks to keep her happy and supple.

This talented mare has achieved a lot in three years, and there are the World Championships and the Tokyo Paralympics yet to come.