Roberta 'Bert' Sheffield (born November 3, 1980) is a British-Canadian

Para-equestrian Para-equestrian is an equestrian sport governed by the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI), and includes two competitive events. One is para-equestrian dressage, which is conducted under the same basic rules as conventional dre ...

, who has competed for Canada at international competitions including the Paralympics.

Early life and education

Sheffield has had dual citizenship with the United Kingdom and Canada since birth. She was born in the UK to a Canadian mother. She began riding at age five at

Gaddesden Place Gaddesden Place, near Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire, England, was designed by architect James Wyatt and built between 1768 and 1773, and was the home of the Hertfordshire Halsey baronets, Halsey family. The house is set in an elevated position ...

Riding for the Disabled Association Centre. Sheffield has lived with

rheumatoid arthritis Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a long-term autoimmune disorder that primarily affects synovial joint, joints. It typically results in warm, swollen, and painful joints. Pain and stiffness often worsen following rest. Most commonly, the wrist and h ...

since the age of 15. She read politics and public policy at

Aston University Aston University (abbreviated as ''Aston'' for post-nominals) is a public university situated in the city centre of Birmingham, England. Aston began as the Birmingham Municipal Technical School in 1895, evolving into the UK's first College of a ...

Career

Sheffield joined the Canadian

Para-dressage Para-equestrian is an equestrian sport governed by the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI), and includes two competitive events. One is para-equestrian dressage, which is conducted under the same basic rules as conventional dre ...

team in 2013, after competing for Great Britain. At her first international competition competing for Canada, the 2014 World Equestrian Games, she placed fourth in the freestyle test aboard Bindro T. In 2015, she purchased Fairuza, a six-year old Gelderlander

mare A mare is an adult female horse or other equidae, equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more th ...

. She made her Paralympic debut in 2016, competing with her nine-year-old Donnersohn mare, Double Agent. She placed 14th in the Grade III individual event. Sheffield was reclassified from grade IV to grade III in 2018 after an assessment determined that her level of impairment had increased. She was named to compete for Canada at the

2020 Summer Paralympics The , branded as the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, were an international multi-sport event, multi-sport parasports event held from 24 August to 5 September 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. They were the 16th Summer Paralympic Games as organized by the Inte ...

in the grade III classification. On the Canadian Para-equestrian team with Lauren Barwick and Noni Hartvikson, Sheffield placed tenth in the team test. Sheffield was named to Canada's equestrian team for the 2022 integrated FEI World Equestrian Championships, her first competition after the Paralympics. She placed sixth riding Fairuza. At the 2022 CPEDI3* Keysoe International, Sheffield won the grade III team test and the grade III individual championship test and came second in the freestyle competition. At the CPEDI3* in Waregem, she and Fairuza placed second in the team test and fourth in the individual test. She placed second in the team, individual, and freestyle events at the CPEDI 3* event in Deauville that year. She was named "owner of the year" for 2022 by the Canadian Equestrian Federation. At the CPEDI 3* Mannheim in 2023, she won first place in freestyle with a score of 74.489%. She also won the Para Grand Prix B and the came second in the Para Grand Prix A. Sheffield competed with Fairuza at the

2024 Summer Paralympics The 2024 Summer Paralympics (), also known as the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games (), and branded as Paris 2024, were the 17th Summer Paralympic Games, an international Multi-sport event, multi-sport parasports event governed by the International P ...

. She placed sixth in the para equestrian individual freestyle grade II and in the individual dressage grade II. Sheffield, representing Canada with Jody Schloss riding El Colorado and Austen Burns with Happy Feet 3, finished 11th in the team event. She received the 2024 Equestrian Canada Para Dressage Award for Athlete of the Year; Fairuza also won for horse of the year.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sheffield, Roberta Living people 1980 births Sportspeople from Lincolnshire Equestrians at the 2016 Summer Paralympics Equestrians at the 2020 Summer Paralympics Equestrians at the 2024 Summer Paralympics Paralympic equestrians for Canada 21st-century Canadian sportswomen Canadian people of British descent British people of Canadian descent Alumni of Aston University