Ottawa, ON—Para-Equestrian Canada is pleased to announce that Andrea Taylor, of Langley, BC, has been awarded the Petro Canada Coaching Excellence Award in recognition of her achievements at the 2008 Paralympic Games. As the national team coach of Para-Equestrian Canada, Taylor coached rider Lauren Barwick to individual gold and silver medal finishes in the sport of Para-Dressage.
Taylor is a seasoned international dressage competitor who became involved in Para-Dressage when she donated her own Grand Prix horse, Dior, to Barwick to ride at the 2004 Paralympic Games.
Taylor has coached many successful riders in British Columbia, including adult amateurs, junior and young riders. As an athlete, Taylor competed internationally at the Grand Prix level with Dior. In 1989, she was a member of the gold medal team and won the individual gold medal at the North American Young Riders Championships. She has been a short and long-listed rider with the Canadian dressage team, and in 2000, Taylor represented Canada at the International Dressage Derby in Sydney, AUS, where she won the team bronze medal and was named Leading Foreign Rider.