Irish Paralympic dressage rider Sarah Slattery is one of Ireland’s fastest-rising stars in para equestrian sport. Competing in Grade V with her mare Savona, an 18-year-old German Warmblood by San Amour, Sarah only began competing internationally in 2021, yet in just a few short years she has gone on to represent Ireland at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games and the European Championships in Riesenbeck, all while becoming a mother for the second time and balancing family life with elite sport.

At the Paris Paralympics, Sarah delivered a personal best performance to finish seventh in the Grade V Freestyle Final, securing Ireland’s best para dressage result of the Games. In early 2025, she was named Irish Field Dressage Rider of the Year for 2024, and later that year she and Savona were invited to compete at the prestigious CHI Al Shaqab in Doha, an invite-only event for the world’s top riders, where they produced a hat-trick of third-place finishes across all three days.

Sarah is classified as a Grade V rider due to impaired muscle power and range of movement in her left arm following cancer at the age of eight. Raised in a horse-focused family, she was straight back in the saddle, and that determination has driven her all the way to the highest level of international sport. Looking ahead, her goal for 2026 is to qualify for the FEI World Championships in Aachen, before turning her sights to securing a place on the Irish team for the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympic Games. Alongside her own competitive ambitions, Sarah is deeply committed to strengthening the pathway for para riders in Ireland and inspiring the next generation to aim high.