Background
Seipel was born on 4 April 1986 in Ipswich, Queensland. She was born with arthrogryposis multiplex, a rare disorder characterised by fusion of joints and absent muscle formation her legs.
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Susan Seipel
Edit ProfileEducation
She attended Street Peter Claver College.
Career
In 2003, she competed Information Technology certificates and in 2004, a Technical and Further Education course in horse management. In 2008, she competed a Diploma of Applied Science, Equine Studies Major at the University of Queensland. She is a volunteer with the RSPCA at Wacol, Queensland.
Swimming
Seipel"s sporting career started at the age of four where she learnt to swim as part of her physiotherapy program
She held several and Australia and Queensland swimming records. Equestrian
At the age of seven, she started riding at the McIntyre Centre Riding for the Disabled in Brisbane"s western suburbs.
Seipel said: "We used to go past the centre on the way to my school and I always saw the horses. I really loved animals and wanted to have a go there.
My parents thought it would be good therapy took me along." In 1998, she competed for the first time at the National Riding for Disabled (Richard Daley Associates) Dressage Championships, where she placed 1st in her warmup test against international riders.
She competed at these Championships for nine successive years. Seipel"s best performance was a bronze medal at the FEI Pacific Rim Para-equestrian Dressage International, held at Milner Downs Equestrian Centre in Langley, Canada. She was not selected for the 2008 Summer Paralympics.
Short listed for 2008 Beijing Paralympics
2007 Queensland Young Achiever for Sports Award
2009 Equestrian Australia National Para Dressage Development Squad
2010 Equestrian Australia National Para Dressage Elite Squad
In leaving equestrian, Seipel said: ""I did equestrian for 18 years, competing at national and international level
I decided to take a break because it"s quite an expensive sport". Canoeing
In 2012, Seipel attended a para-canoe come and try day and she was encouraged to take up up para canoeing by Australian Olympian Amanda Rankin.
She competed at the 2014 International Coach Federation Canoe Sprint World Championships where she finished sixth in the Women"s KL2 (formerly TA) K1 200m. In 2015, she trains with the Brisbane Canoeing Club and once a week with national coach Andrea King at Varsity Lakes.
Achievements
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Summary of equestrian achievements: Australian Riding for the Disabled (Richard Daley Associates) National Dressage Champion 2006, 2008 Reserve Para Equestrian Dressage Champion 2010 State Riding for the Disabled Queensland Dressage Champion 9 times At the 2015 International Coach Federation Canoe Sprint World Championships in Milan, Italy she won the gold medal in the Women"s V–1 200 m VL2 and bronze medal in the Women"s K–1 200 m KL2, a 2016 Rio Paralympics event.
Views
Quotations:
"We used to go past the centre on the way to my school and I always saw the horses. I really loved animals and wanted to have a go there. My parents thought it would be good therapy took me along." In 1998, she competed for the first time at the National Riding for Disabled (Richard Daley Associates) Dressage Championships, where she placed 1st in her warmup test against international riders.
She competed at these Championships for nine successive years.
Seipel"s best performance was a bronze medal at the FEI Pacific Rim Para-equestrian Dressage International, held at Milner Downs Equestrian Centre in Langley, Canada. She was not selected for the 2008 Summer Paralympics.
Summary of equestrian achievements: Australian Riding for the Disabled (Richard Daley Associates) National Dressage Champion 2006, 2008 Reserve Para Equestrian Dressage Champion 2010 Short listed for 2008 Beijing Paralympics State Riding for the Disabled Queensland Dressage Champion 9 times 2007 Queensland Young Achiever for Sports Award 2009 Equestrian Australia National Para Dressage Development Squad 2010 Equestrian Australia National Para Dressage Elite Squad In leaving equestrian, Seipel said: ""I did equestrian for 18 years, competing at national and international level I decided to take a break because it"s quite an expensive sport".
