Sydney Collier is a powerhouse in the world of Para-Dressage, a Paralympian, and one of the stars of the award-winning documentary ParaGold. Known for her determination, infectious positivity, and groundbreaking achievements, Sydney has redefined what it means to pursue greatness in the face of adversity.
Diagnosed at a young age Wyburn-Mason Syndrome, a very rare disease (there are only 100 documented cases worldwide), Sydney’s journey to becoming one of the top Para-Dressage riders in the world is nothing short of extraordinary. From representing the United States at the Paralympic Games, to becoming an author, a movie star, and a motivational force for athletes everywhere, her story is a testament to resilience, passion, and the power of believing in yourself.
I’m so excited to share this interview with Sydney where we discuss her journey to the Paralympic stage, her experiences filming ParaGold, and her vision for the future of equestrian sport. Join us as we dive into Sydney’s world, whose story continues to empower riders and dreamers around the globe.
Megan: Let’s start by talking about when you started riding and how that passion for riding began?
Sydney: I actually started riding just totally by chance. As a kid, horses were always an undercurrent in my life. I had tons of Breyer horses and horse toys, but first I tried every single sport known to mankind.
But nothing ever clicked. was always the one out on the soccer field picking dandelions. It just was never my thing. And then one day at seven years old, by chance I said to my mom, “I think I want to try riding lessons.”
And I swear that it was the moment she had been waiting for her entire life, because it felt like the next day I was signed up for those riding lessons.
Megan: Was she into horses too?
Sydney: Yeah, actually. She had a Tennessee Walker that she’d been jumping on. And man, she worked her butt off to be able to ride. She was like the “get up early and go muck all the stalls just to be able to ride" girl. And I think she was very excited that I showed an interest in it too.
It was a really great interest because the moment I sat on my first pony, it just clicked immediately. I knew what I was meant to do with my life. From that moment forward, it was like a meet-cute of finding your passion.
Megan: And then what did your path look like to where you are now? How did you get into it so full-on?
Sydney: From the moment I started riding, I always said to my parents—because I started out actually as an eventer at seven years old—"One day I’m going to represent the USA at the Olympics in the sport of Eventing."
And what's really cool is that my family never made me feel crazy for setting such a huge goal at seven years old. They always said, "Oh, yeah. You can totally do that. Just dedicate yourself and you can do it."
Sydney riding around age 11 before her diagnoses
At that same age, when I started riding, I was also diagnosed with Wyburn-Mason syndrome—a rare, life-threatening diagnosis that fewer than a thousand people on earth actually have. The hospital told my parents to take me home and pray I didn't die of a massive bleed.
Obviously, that was not the answer they were looking for, and this diagnosis led us down a path of experimental treatments. I was actually the first pediatric case with Wyburn-Mason syndrome to get treated.
Throughout this really dark time in my life, with countless hospital visits and long days in the doctor's office, all I cared about was getting to ride. The doctors would always ask my mom and dad, "Are you sure that you want to let her do something so risky?" At that point, I was still eventing. They were always skeptical, but my parents knew it was what propelled me forward and kept me from focusing on all the negatives in my life.
Horses were really what kept me going. Then, ultimately, when I had my first stroke at the age of 11, I went through the darkest period of my life. I woke up in a body that no longer felt like my own and didn't align with me or my goals.
My dream of making it to the Olympics felt unreachable, and suddenly the world had zero expectations for me. Coming back to riding after that stroke was challenging. People can read about it in my book, but there were some bumpy moments.
Ultimately, I discovered the sport of Para Dressage just in the nick of time at the age of 12. That day as I was watching, sitting in the stands, I had this realization: Sure, you're feeling judgment from yourself and the world, and you're super frustrated that your body no longer clicks with your sport, but look at these athletes out here doing what you always aimed to do—representing the USA on the world stage. I had this moment and I realized, “The next World Equestrian Games, the next Paralympics, that is going to be me.”
That is the moment that I was finally able to see, okay, having a stroke isn't the end of the world. It's not the end of your life. And you can set new goals. It is possible.
Megan: Wow. And on a totally different level, other people that ride have all experienced some sort of hardship. Riding can always be like that beacon of hope.
I want to go back to what you said about changing your expectations to be in line with your reality—I feel like that is so relevant to so many people, whether it's mental barriers, physical barriers, emotional blocks, family commitments. Horses can kind of level-set you in so many different ways.
For people that aren't familiar with your journey, after you had the stroke, is that when the loss of mobility in certain areas happened and you had to adjust how you were riding?
Sydney: Yeah, the stroke made me lose movement on my left side. And I always forget to mention this, but I'm also blind in my right eye. I lost my vision when I was eight years old. It's a double whammy, right? I had that loss of movement on the left and no vision in my right eye as well, with only partial vision in my left eye.
So I really had to learn how to adapt my ride. At the time, I didn’t even know that those resources existed. Finding the world of para dressage helped me—it opened up a whole new world in terms of adaptive aids and the different ways that para riders ride parallel to their able-bodied counterparts.
Megan: And how did you first hear about para dressage?
Sydney: We actually traveled all the way to the World Equestrian Games in 2010, which we had previously seen online.Actually, I think my mom begged me to go watch it because, me being the eventer I was, I thought, "Dressage? That’s the thing we suffer through to go fast and jump big things, right?" So she dragged me to the World Equestrian Games, and I found out this dressage thing is actually really cool. It was mind-blowing to me.
Megan: That's so exciting. Okay, when I watched the ParaGold series, I could see you do a ton of cross-training in the gym, working on physical fitness, stability, and strength.What does that look like for you on a day-to-day basis? Do you go to the gym and then go ride? What is your training schedule?
Sydney: I ride anywhere from four to five times a week and work out two to three days a week. Most of the time, I work out before I ride.I find these workouts are a great opportunity to warm up all the muscles I want firing when I’m on the horse. It’s definitely a more high-intensity workout than my walk-only rides, but it helps me tap into my core more effectively.
Photo credit: Madison Collier
Megan: Do you work with a personal trainer?
Sydney: Yes, I work with a personal trainer here in Wellington named Tony Cabrales. He’s been awesome about keying into different parts of my body that need fine-tuning and adapting workouts to what my body needs on any given day.
Megan: People don't really realize how important being consistent in the gym is to your success in the saddle.
Sydney: Yes, I feel like it's coming into people's minds a little bit more now. It's becoming a little bit more popular, like the thought of an equestrian athlete in a whole-picture sense.
Photo credit: USEF Photography
Megan: Can you talk a little bit about what that whole experience of being part of the documentary ParaGold was like, having the cameras follow you around while you're trying to compete and do all your stuff at the same time?
Sydney: I can definitely say that in the beginning I was a little bit intimidated by it, right? First and foremost, my biggest focus is being successful in the show ring. And I was really worried that it was going to become a distraction.But I have to say that Ron Davis, the director, was really phenomenal at putting both my trainer and me at ease when it came to microphoning us up for our training rides at competitions.Once I got over those initial nerves of, "Oh my gosh, being on camera, what if that's going to just totally take me out of my element?" Once I got over that, with his help, I was able to just completely and genuinely be me, right? Even with the mics on and the cameras on us.I have to say, my horse at the time really enjoyed being in the spotlight. He was a little bit of a ham, I'm not going to lie.
Megan: When I watched the documentary, I thought , "How are they doing this?!"
Sydney: When I think about myself at a competition, there's so much going on. I couldn't handle the extra eyes and then the thought of, "Oh, this is going to be on Apple TV one day for everybody to watch."
Megan: That's a lot of pressure.
Sydney: Yeah, right. Like, it's going to follow me forever, right? But the more I kind of got out of my head and just went along with it, I was able to get more into it. And I really ended up enjoying the process.
Megan: That must have been a really cool experience.
Sydney: Absolutely. It was a really cool opportunity. And I really appreciate Ron Davis and Michel Assouline (head of Paradressage in the US) for believing in me as one of the faces of para dressage to be featured in that film. I can't thank the people who made it possible, for allowing me to be a part of it.
Megan: Do you keep in touch with any of the other athletes who were featured?
Sydney: Yes. In para dressage here in the USA, we're actually a pretty small group, and we're all very, very close. A lot of us are based here in Wellington, Florida. Para dressage here in the US is made up of about 30 athletes altogether, so you're very close with all your competitors. You end up becoming quick friends.
Megan: And do any of you train at the same barns?
Sydney: Nowadays, we've seen some trainers having multiple para riders. I currently don't have any of my fellow paras at the barn where I train.
Megan: And who is your trainer?
Sydney: I currently train with Devon Kane at Diamante Farms. At the time of the documentary, I was with Katie Robicheaux at L’Acadiane Equine Management, in Massachusetts. and then here in Florida seasonally, and at the point when we were filming Paragold.
Megan: So now I want to ask you a little bit about training and competition. In ParaGold, you talked a little bit about how you adapt to your physical needs. Can you explain a little bit about what that looks like for people who aren’t familiar?
Sydney: Yes, so I've definitely gone through a lot of phases when it comes to adaptions. Some of the most recent adaptations that I've used are magnetic stirrups, which are super handy. I ride with a shorter adapted rein so that I can ride one-handed. I used to ride with my spur straps that secured my stirrups to the girth. So that just helped with leg stabilization. And I've ridden with a curved whip that goes over my left leg.
Sydney and All In One (aka Alle)
Megan: So you can use that to support that side?
Sydney: Yes, so basically that whip curves over my left leg and acts as if it is my left leg, since my left leg can't cue the horse at all. I've also ridden with a sling on my left arm. I've ridden with my left arm behind my back in that sling as well.
Megan: So do things change with your condition, or do they stay the same and you just make changes based on performance?
Sydney: Yes, things definitely change. I would say with anyone's disability, and for me, things change a lot because of the muscle tone that I have on my left side. It varies a lot day to day, and especially recently it's gotten super intense. So as I'm riding around, it'll just kind of go bonkers, and my left leg will spasm out of control and accidentally kick my horse.
And my horse has to be really good at just tuning that out, being like, "Okay, blinders on, we're not focusing on what her crazy leg is doing." They have to get really good at focusing on the things that they actually need, like the cues for my body that they actually need.
Megan: So you probably have to develop a really strong bond with your horses and build a lot of trust with them?
Sydney: Yes, and I would say that every horse that I've been lucky enough to ride on during this journey, I've had very strong bonds with. They've all been so different in subtle little ways. They've all been super caring for me, and even if they were kind of feisty for a trainer, I could get on and they're just like, "Oh, okay, it's Syd. I know her."
For example, Alle was a very tricky horse to ride. He would give trainers endless amounts of sass. And then I would get on, and he would still give me some sass but more manageable sass. They all just kind of got it. They understood that we were on the same team and were able to really focus on what they needed to focus on and tune out what they didn't, thanks to a lot of practice and getting to know one another on a deeper level.
Megan: Can you tell me about your most memorable moment in competition? Do you have one win that you'll never forget?
Sydney: Yes, actually. I would say that my most memorable moment was the Rio Paralympic Games. For one, riding down the centerline at my first Paralympics was just a feeling of overwhelming pride and honor.
Sydney & Alle in Rio
Another big thing I experienced at the Rio Paralympic Games was the feeling, for the first time in my life, of being part of the majority rather than the minority. Staying in the athlete's village and being surrounded by thousands of other athletes with disabilities, it was my first time feeling just fully accepted and embraced.
That representation and feeling is something I aspire to create in everyday life for other people with disabilities. It shouldn't just be this fleeting moment when we can experience completely being accepted or being ourselves. For me, that was a defining moment of my life—experiencing it and then coming home from the Paralympics and saying, "Okay, there's a lot of times in life where people with disabilities are viewed differently, and I want to make it my life's work to really change how we go about disability, not only here in America but worldwide."
That's when I really honed in on that feeling. I wanted future generations to not have to go through what I went through at 11 years old—feeling ostracized.
Megan: I want to ask you about advocacy. What are some of the ways the sport can make it feel more inclusive or make people with disabilities feel part of the majority and get that feeling you had?
Sydney: Honestly, the more people that we can get involved, the more that we can make it less intimidating for people with disabilities to approach equestrian sports, the better. Because I think a lot of people would love to experience equestrian sports. I was just speaking at a disability convention in Fort Lauderdale, and this lady who was blind told me, "Oh, I have always wanted to ride a horse, but I've never had access, or I've always felt too intimidated by how big the idea felt."
And I said, "Man, there are so many ways to access it." I feel like unless you're intimately involved in equestrian sports, sometimes it just feels so overwhelming to take that first step.
For me, really just the grassroots effort—helping people at the national level develop the national program and kind of going from there—I think that's a big start right there. When you do it right and start maybe locally, then transition to showing nationally, it feels much less intimidating. You’re able to foster grassroots talent that might have slipped through the cracks without it.
Megan: What advice would you give to a barn or trainer that has never had a student with disabilities or barn mates who haven’t ridden with someone with disabilities? How would you advise them to make it an inclusive place for someone new who wants to take a lesson?
Sydney: Just treat us like anyone else. We're literally just like you. It's that easy, really. It really is that simple. Sure, maybe there will be some physical accommodations, like a four-step mounting block rather than a three-step block to get on and off a horse. Make sure those types of things are in place. But don’t make a big deal out of it. Just treat us like anyone else.That’s the biggest message I want to come out of my book Beyond Expectations and the ParaGold documentary—normalizing it and increasing representation so that other people like me can see someone like them out there. Once they see what’s possible, that first step becomes less intimidating.
Megan: Do you have any resources you could recommend for people who want to get started?
Sydney: Yes, the United States Para-Equestrian Association (USPEA) is a great resource. People can also find programs like PATH International and others, which would be a great place to start.
Megan: What are your goals moving forward, like into the new year, five years, or ten years? What does that look like for you?
Sydney: For the new year, it’s heading into the show ring here at Global and competing in the first qualifier. We just want to do our personal best, which is all any of us can ask for. It will actually be Bell Bottoms—the horse I’m currently working with—it’s our second show season together and her second show season ever. That will make it really special.
Megan: Oh, wow, that’s exciting. Is she a young horse?
Sydney: She’s just turning 10 in January, so she’s experienced but still green to the show ring. It’s very special for me because I’ve been the one to put all her shows on her. That’s a new experience for me since every other horse I’ve ridden was already a made horse at lower levels. Beebs is the first upper-level, green-to-the-show-ring horse I’ve had the privilege to ride. It’s been a learning curve because riding lower-level horses is so different from upper-level ones.
Sydney & Beebs Photo credit: Sue Weakly
Megan: So your big, audacious goal was to go to the Paralympics, and you did that. So how do you make bigger goals at this stage?
Sydney: Honestly, once you’ve done it, you get the bug. My next goal is the World Championships in Aachen in 2026 and then the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympics. I aspire to help the USA win gold at home games in LA and in Aachen. That’s what Beebs and I are working so diligently toward. She’s such a special horse.
Megan: That’s amazing. Tell me more about her. What makes your partnership with Beebs so special?
Sydney: Oh man, she’s everything. She’s my first mare that I’ve had a long-term relationship with, and she’s a chestnut. You know what they say about chestnut mares, but she doesn’t fit that stereotype at all. She’s so motherly with me and very polite, even when she has opinions. She’s super perceptive and protective. For example, my left leg spasmed during our ride this morning, and it was unintentionally kicking her hard. She just kept chugging along like, “I don’t feel anything. We’re good.” That’s true heart.
Megan: Maybe she understands the intention behind it, knowing you’re not trying to do it on purpose.
Sydney: Absolutely. She’s the most perceptive horse I’ve had. It’s been my greatest honor to form this relationship with her and bring her along in the show ring.
Megan: Would you say you’re a mare person now?
Sydney: I think so. My trainer, Devin, always said she saw me on a mare. And I can see why—mares challenge you, but once you’ve built that bond, you’re solid. It’s been such a privilege to grow this partnership with Beebs.
The biggest message that I want to come out of Beyond Expectations and out of Paragold is just normalizing it, and increasing representation so that other people like me can see someone out there like them, see what is possible, and then all of a sudden that first step becomes less intimidating.
Megan: Do you have any resources that you could recommend for people that want to get started?
Sydney: The USPA is a great resource, the United States Para-Equestrian Association.They are a great resource and a great place to start.
Megan: Is there a particular horse that has left the biggest mark on your career? Would you say that's Beebs?
Sydney: I would say I can't pick one. I would say all of them because they all have led me to this point in my life. Every single one has had so many special attributes and things that just made them so uniquely them that I fell in love with. I could not pick one, even if you had a gun to my head.
And I also feel that being an inspiration . . . to me, inspiration is not an action word. I would much rather be a motivation for someone than an inspiration because a motivating factor helps you take that first step to reach out to that show organizer or reach out to that barn, whereas when someone just inspires you it's just a fleeting thought. My biggest thing is that I want to help others to live a life beyond expectations.
Megan: If Beebs could talk, what do you think she would say about you?
Sydney: I think that she would say that I always bring the best snack. I think she would say that just like any rider, I have my good days and my bad days, but she enjoys when I'm having a good day.
Megan: And what do you like to do outside of riding? Like, what do you do to relax when you're not riding or have fun?
Sydney: I really love to tend to my plants. I enjoy hanging out with my service dog, Logan.
Being out in nature, especially now that it's a little bit cooler here in Wellington I'm a big outdoors person.
Megan: What would people be surprised to find out about para dressage?
Sydney: The one thing that I think people would be surprised to find out about para dressage is how similar it is to dressage. Throughout my years of doing para dressage, I started out riding with so many compensating aids over the years, and since starting to ride with Devin.
Really, as I've gotten stronger in the gym and made the parts that I can control stronger, the more that we have stripped away the compensating aids that I was fighting against in my ride, the more that I've been able to ride more evenly and correctly. When you just think about the structure of dressage and what makes good dressage, it's exactly the same for us para dressage riders. Even if you have a disability, you're just adapting to that disability in your mind.
My biggest thing is I want to help make para dressage approachable and help bring along the future generation of kids in para dressage. That was always the vision for my mentor Jonathan Wentz and me–fostering the youth connection because once we were the babies in para dressage and we want to help bring other kids into it and get them passionate about it. Without a youth tie, you don't really have a future of the sport.
With or without a disability, we’re basically all the same as riders and have a lot in common, but we kind of get stuck in our own little boxes. The more that we can break down these barriers, maybe we'll find other things that we're passionate about and maybe we'll find other people that we can be friends with and, just like that, it'll be a more unified horse world.
Resources:
Sydney's website: www.sydsparaquest.com
USPEA site: https://www.uspea.org/
Link to order Sydney's book: https://trafalgarbooks.com/products/beyond-expectations
Follow Sydney on Instagram: @sydsparaquest
Special thanks to Helen Townes for her help editing this transcript.