Sue-Ellen Lovett (née Lee ; born 12 October 1959) is an Australian para-equestrian. She represented Australia at the

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...

and

2000 Sydney Paralympics The 2000 Summer Paralympic Games or the XI Summer Paralympics were held in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, between 18 and 29 October. The Sydney Paralympics was last time that the Summer Paralympics which were organized by two different ...

. She has raised over $3 million for Guide Dogs NSW/ACT, cancer and other charities.

Personal

Lovett was born on 12 October 1959 in Mudgee, New South Wales. She grew up on a 21,000 acre property outside Mudgee in NSW. At the age of 12, she was diagnosed with the hereditary condition retinitis pigmentosa. Her mother Mary had the same eyesight disease. Since 1981 she has used a guide dog. In 1989, she was diagnosed with

cervical cancer Cervical cancer is a cancer arising from the cervix. It is due to the abnormal growth of cells that have the ability to invade or spread to other parts of the body. Early on, typically no symptoms are seen. Later symptoms may include abnormal ...

and underwent three operations. In 2000, she married agricultural teacher Matthew Lovett and they live on his family's property outside

Dubbo Dubbo () is a city in the Orana Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest population centre in the Orana region, with a population of 43,516 at June 2021. The city is located at the intersection of the Newell, Mitchell, and Gol ...

. In 2012, she filed a complaint with the Australian Human Rights Commission after being asked to leave two restaurants and a hotel in Picton because of her guide dog. She is now completely blind.

Equestrian

Lovett grew up riding horses on her family's property. She took up dressage in 1994. At the 1996 Atlanta Summer Paralympics, she finished 13th in the Mixed Dressage Grade IV and 11th in the Mixed Kur Canter Grade IV. Between 1995 and 2000, she was National RDA Grade 4 Champion. At the 1999 World Dressage Championships in Denmark, she was a member of the Australian team that won the bronze medal. At the 2000 Sydney Summer Paralympics, she finished eighth Mixed Dressage - Championship Grade IV, fifth in the Mixed Dressage - Freestyle Grade IV and as a member of the Australian team fifth in the Mixed Dressage Team Open. After representing, Australia at the Sydney Paralympics, Lovett turned her focus to able-bodied competition and mentoring successful junior riders. She qualified for the Competition Dressage International in Sydney from 2009 to 2013. In 2018, she was competing in dressage competitions by using six to eight "living markers" friends and volunteers who call out letters of the alphabet, directing her around the course. In 2018, she was being sponsored by businessman Terry Snow.

Fund raising

In October 2018, she completed her tenth fund raising ride when she rode Australian Stock horses with her guide dog Armani, over more than 800 km, starting in Dubbo then travelling through Central West NSW and finishing at Dubbo Racecourse to raise funds for new Integrated Wellness Centre to be located within the Oncology Department of Dubbo Base Hospital. She has raised over $3 million for Guide Dogs NSW/ACT, cancer and other charities.

Recognition

* 2000 - Life Member of Equestrian Australia * 2000 - Australian Sports Medal for excellence in dressage competition both in the able bodied field as well as the disabled arena. *2024 -Medal of the Order of Australia for service to horse sports, and to the community.

References

External links

Video of Sue-Ellen Lovett competing the use of ''living markers'
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lovett, Sue-Ellen 1959 births Living people Paralympic equestrians for Australia Australian female equestrians Equestrians at the 1996 Summer Paralympics Equestrians at the 2000 Summer Paralympics Visually impaired category Paralympic competitors Australian blind people People from Mudgee Sportswomen from New South Wales 20th-century Australian women 21st-century Australian women