Behind every “once-in-a-lifetime” sporting opportunity are thousands of quiet sacrifices that most people never see.
This year, Serena Ireland has been selected to represent Australia at the FEI Dressage World Cup Final in Fort Worth, TX, an honour very few riders will ever experience. It reflects years of discipline, resilience, and the extraordinary partnership between horse and rider.
Serena is also proudly a NextGen Equine sponsored rider, and we could not be more honoured to support her on this journey.
But opportunities like this do not come with funding.
To say yes to competing on the world stage, Serena must step away from her job, her business, her home life, and her daily training routines. She is putting everything on hold - not for comfort or security - but for the chance to represent herself, her horse, and Australian dressage at the highest level.
And then there is the reality of campaigning a horse internationally with flights, road transport, quarantine, stabling, feed, veterinary care, and the complex logistics of international competition. All of this happens before a single dressage test is ridden.
Elite athletes don’t just train hard.
They absorb enormous personal, business, and financial risk.
They carry the cost when there is no safety net.
This is what chasing a dream really looks like.
𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽
A fundraiser via My Cause has been created. Every donation makes a difference, donations can be made via Credit Card or PayPal.
There is a fundraising action currently being held with a range of horse related goods and services. Thank you to Christine Crawford and Christina Andrews-Terry for the behind the scenes work.
Follow Serena's journey to Texas via social media Facebook & Instagram.
It truly does take a village.
Photo Credit:Kate Sheffield Photography
