Grace Bowman (equestrian)

Bowman was born on 16 July 1990 in Moonta, South Australia.^[1][2][3] She attended high school in Kadina.^[4] As a child, she participated in several sports including netball and basketball.^[3] On 13 September 2002, at the age of twelve, she had an accident with a horse that resulted in her spinal cord becoming severed and dislocated.^[3][4][5] Her mother died following an accident, and her father died of cancer in 2011.^[1][6] As of 2012^[update] she is a student at the University of Adelaide in Adelaide, where she is majoring in psychology.^[1][3]

Bowman was featured on ABC's Race to London.^[7]

Bowman is a Grade 1B equestrian competitor.^[1] As of 2012^[update], she practices at Kirby Stud Park, is coached by Megan Jones, an Australian Olympic equestrian, and rides a horse named Rolly.^[3][6] She was one of the first South Australians to ever represent Australia at the Paralympic Games.^[4] She started riding horses in 1996 when she was six years old,^[1][3] and owned her first horse when she was ten years old.^[3] At the age of 12, she had an accident while riding a horse that left her disabled.^[3]

Bowman first represented Australia in 2006.^[1][8] She was selected to represent Australia at the 2008 Summer Paralympics,^{[1][2][3][6][8][9][10]} and ultimately finished twelfth in her event with a score of 61.611.^[4][11] She finished sixth in the team event.^[12] Going into the 2008 Games, she was given A$4,000 to help with her costs.^[13] She was a member of Australia's 2009 National High Performance Squad.^[14]

In 2010 and 2011, Bowman rode Kirby Park Irish Joy.^[4][15] At the Kentucky hosted 2010 World Equestrian Games, she finished fourth.^[4] She finished first in the 2011 Tamworth NSW Grade II FEI Team Test event, the Championship Test event and the Freestyle event,^[16] finished first in the 2011 Grade II National Championships,^[16] and finished first in the 2011 Hong Kong Grade II CPEDI3 Freestyle competition.^[16] She was selected to represent Australia at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in equestrian.^[1][17][18] She did not medal at the 2012 Games.^[19]