Luke Purtill, 2021 Delivering Dreams Scholarship Winner ¦ now DUAL Gold Medalist at the Queensland Special Olympics Equestrian State Championships ~ RECAP of the weekend from our Director, Fiona Todd.
“On the weekend, I had the pleasure of attending the QLD State Special Olympics in Burpengary.
My purpose was to meet Luke Purtill, but what greeted us was so warm and beautiful, it was hard not to be emotional. There were some very special individuals, the people who competed with their massive smiles, their support team and the event organisers, all so dedicated and caring.
The weather made things a little tricky, but not to be deterred, they all continued bravely on.
Luke always had to ride a new horse, which in itself poses some challenges, but the horse he rode, Red Admiral, went along so kindly for him. Red is 19 years of age and has been happily retired for many years. When his owner was approached to provide him as a mount, she happily brought him in and had a few rides so he was safe for Luke, nothing unusual in that, until you are told Red’s owner is in her 80’s!
The Scholarship is something that we at Equestrian Hub are very proud of, being designed to help the recipients move their riding to the next level, whatever that level may be. For Luke to pursue his dreams he needs to travel to Brisbane to compete, at home he competes against able bodied riders.
We helped Luke by offering him the chance to train with the amazing Tanja Mittion to overcome some of the mental and physical challenges he faces. Tanja and Luke have established a good working relationship as he works to become straight and light, and to leave any tension behind.
There are so many wonderful kind people in this world and through the Delivering Dreams Scholarship we will continue to support as many as we are able.”
Thank you to our wonderful sponsors who make offering this program possible: David Shoobridge, Warwick Schiller, Barastoc and Trailrace Saddlery!
