A 30-year-old woman from Amersham who joined her local disabled riding group twenty years ago has taken home a bronze medal for equestrian freestyle at the Paris Paralympics.

Mari Durward-Akhurst, who has cerebral palsy, joined the South Bucks Riding for the Disabled group in Fulmer in 2005.

The 30-year-old, who said the group provided a form of therapy for her, didn't fully hit her stride until partnering with the impressively named horse Athene Lindebjerg, owned by Riding for the Disabled chair Diane Redfern, in 2023.

They struck an immediate harmony and saw the year out with three national titles – a winning streak they have kept up into 2024, with a whopping six competition wins clinching Mari's selection for the 2024 Paralympics this summer.

And, despite a "disappointing" finish in the games' grade one individual event, Mari and her "dancing partner" Athene defied all odds to win a bronze medal in the grade one freestyle on September 7.

(Image: Mari Durward-Akhurst)

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Although the pair had never ridden to the music, made especially for Paris, before, that – and the rain – didn't dampen their performance and Mari's debut was crowned with a judge's score of 77.75 per cent.

The 30-year-old now has her eyes firmly on the 2028 Paralympics in Los Angeles.

She said: “I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported me up to this point. What a journey from starting out with Riding for the Disabled to reaching the podium at the Paralympics.”