Roberta Sheffield sits atop her horse, Fairuza, eyes fixed forward. Her gaze is focused between Fairuza’s ears, down the Grand Canal toward the Palace of Versailles. The September afternoon is late, the shadows long as they play around her. Breath steady, mind settled – Roberta is ready to ride.
The opportunity to represent one’s country on the world stage is what many athletes call surreal. It’s the culmination of one’s unflagging efforts over several years, perhaps decades. For Roberta to do so in an iconic, picturesque setting steeped in history, ensured the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games would be forever etched in her memory.
“It was stunning. I was emotional just being there, and I’ll never forget it,” says the dressage rider, who lives in the U.K. but represents Canada in competition, owing to her mother’s roots.
It’s an experience Roberta may have been denied had she not gained control of her arthritis some 25 years ago.
When arthritis derails dreams
Born into a family of horse enthusiasts in the U.K., Roberta began riding at age 4. Her passion for the sport mounted until she experienced pain in her hands and wrists at 15. Her feet and knees soon followed. Concerned, her parents took her to a rheumatologist.
Roberta says, “This rheumatologist gave me painkillers and told me, ‘It can’t be that bad. You’re making a fuss. Young people don’t get arthritis.’”
For the next five years, Roberta withdrew. Her body permitted her to do less while it inflicted more agony on her. Her mental well-being suffered, too.
“I was on fire most of the time. I was always tired, ill, dragging myself around,” she recalls. “Riding had become frustrating and painful. It had started to close off to me. I didn’t know where my future was. I stopped thinking I would ride in the future because I wasn’t thinking I’d be alive in the future.”
At age 20, however, a glimmer of hope appeared. Although her rheumatologist said she shouldn’t go away to study and that she’d be using a wheelchair by 20, she attended university in Birmingham. There, she was introduced to Professor Caroline Gordon at Birmingham City Hospital, who became her rheumatologist. Professor Gordon diagnosed Roberta with rheumatoid arthritis and put her on biologics, or drugs meant to stop inflammation. Her approach to care was vastly different than that which Roberta had experienced previously.
“Professor Gordon said, ‘I’m here to help. Whatever you want out of life, we’ll find a way.’ I started to reconnect with things that had previously been in my life,” Roberta says.
One of those things was riding.
Back in the saddle
It took Professor Gordon and Roberta time to find the right biologic, but when they did, Roberta’s life was transformed.
She says, “It’s been a game-changer. I had a lot of permanent damage from those five years where my disease went unchecked, but I’ve had far less flaring. The drugs haven’t totally stopped the progression of the disease, but the disease is much easier to live with.”
Roberta returned to riding and began to see success. Impressive showings at international competitions became routine, and by 2016, she had punched her ticket to the Rio Paralympic Games, where she placed 14th. She rode her way back to the world’s preeminent course in 2021 with a 12th-place showing at the Tokyo Paralympic Games. In 2024, she found herself in that exquisite Paris venue, where she delivered a sixth-place performance – and achieved her best score to date.
Although her riding has led to accolades, it has come at a cost. Before each Paralympic Games, Roberta’s body was reassessed to determine the grade in which she was best suited to compete. As her arthritis intensified, she was recategorized, including before Paris 2024.
“Arthritis is an invisible disease. It’s easy for people to dismiss,” she says. “Not only do I have to come to terms with my own deterioration through arthritis, but I have to come to terms with the reclassification process. Other people objectively judge my disability. It’s mentally painful.”
For one hour, two physiotherapists test the power and range in every joint of her body.
“It’s like the worst school report you can imagine,” Roberta says.
Regardless, she rides on – and has no plans to dismount soon. Having participated in the Paris Games, which she says was like a home Games for her English family, Roberta is keen to compete in Los Angeles 2028 so her Canadian relatives can attend.
Whether she qualifies or not, she’s thankful for the experiences equestrian has afforded her, and has clear intentions around using her profile: “Arthritis has opened so many doors for me. It’s not that I’d wish to have it, because I sure as hell wouldn’t, but if I’m trying to find a silver lining in having this disease it’s that I’m able to be an elite athlete. I want to use my platform to be the best Canadian, rider and arthritis advocate I can be.”