Joann Formosa

Formosa started competing in equestrian in 1980.^[1] Before her accident, she competed in dressage and show jumping events.^[4] She helped found Kilmore Adult Riding Club, the first adult pony club in her region.^[4]

Formosa is a Grade 1B equestrian dressage competitor.^[1][5] As a competitor in this class, she is required to perform a "dressage test involving medium to collected walk, a quarter walk pirouette and a long rein walk, as well as working trot and lengthening in the trot."^[5] She competes without stirrups as she does not have enough leg control to justify them.^[4] She has been coached by Manuela McLeans since 2011.^[4][7] She is a member of Riding for the Disabled Victoria,^[8] and is based at the Australian Equine Behaviour Centre at Clonbinane.^[9] As of 2012^[update], she has a scholarship with the Victorian Institute of Sport.^[10]

At the 2006 Victorian State Dressage Championships, Formosa finished first in the Grade 1B event while riding Greenhill Chromes Reflection.^[11] She competed in the 2006 World Equestrian Games, where she made her national team debut and competed in her first competition outside Australia.^[1][9] After returning from this competition, Formosa had an accident while riding her horse.^[1] She was a member of Australia's 2009 National High Performance Squad.^[12] In 2009, she competed in the Australian Masters Game.^[13] She finished first in the 2011 National Championship in the Grade 1B category.^[1][9] At the Victorian-hosted 2011 Oceania Championships, she won two gold medals.^[1] At the 2012 London Paralympics, she won a gold medal in the Mixed Dressage - Championship grade Ib event.^[14] She qualified on Worldwide PB, a "former Wanganui-owned Hanoverian stallion" that she acquired in December 2011.^[3][5]

In November 2013, Formosa was awarded the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) Against All Odds award.^[15] She was awarded an Order of Australia Medal in the 2014 Australia Day Honours "for service to sport as a Gold Medallist at the London 2012 Paralympic Games."^[2]