Equine Pathways: Building opportunities

At the centre of the organisation is founder and Program Executive Manager Julia Battams, whose role spans strategic direction through to the first assessment of every participant.

Julia’s involvement at the outset of each journey ensures programs are shaped around the individual – their goals, their capacity and their future engagement with horses, whether that lies within community participation, vocational pathways or high-performance sport. 

Equine Pathways Australia operates from Victoria, with satellite programs running nationally. The support team comprises multidisciplinary experts with extensive experience in able-bodied sport, Riding for the Disabled, para-equestrian and high-performance settings. This collective expertise includes coaching and supporting athletes at numerous Paralympic Games and World Championships, ensuring an elite-level approach is applied to a highly personalised, practical program.

While performance at the highest level is important, EPA’s work is designed to support a much broader range of outcomes. Its programs help riders of all abilities become involved in clubs, training settings, and competitions that might previously have seemed out of reach. For some, success means simply getting back on a horse or reconnecting with them in a stable environment. For others, it’s about working towards competing on the national and international stage.

Through clinics, camps, and competitions, riders are supported to progress from participation to performance, with a long-term focus on sustainability – for both the athlete and the horse. EPA works closely with clubs, coaches and organisations to ensure that athletes with disabilities are recognised as a valuable part of the wider equine industry.

Looking ahead, the organisation has its sights set on the LA 2028 and Brisbane 2032 Paralympic Games. The Equine Pathway to LA and Brisbane Paralympics program brings together EPA’s participation and high-performance streams, creating a shared journey that connects every participant to those major goals, regardless of where they are on the journey. While only a small number will ultimately be selected to represent Australia, the broader program is designed so that all riders benefit from access to expertise, opportunity and community.

The impact of the EPA is best described through participants’ own experiences, such as Danielle’s. When she arrived at her first Equine Pathways Australia clinic in late 2025, it marked the beginning of something she once thought impossible – a return to riding. A former competitive rider whose life had been changed by complex medical conditions and a spinal injury, Danielle had never lost her connection to horses, even when her body no longer allowed her to ride.

Across one clinic weekend, working alongside EPA coaches and allied health professionals, she was back in the saddle, rebuilding confidence and rediscovering movement. That time spent with the horse gave her the confidence to ride again. It reminded Danielle how much horses meant to her and how they represented her strength, power and way forward.

Stories like hers sit at the heart of Equine Pathways Australia’s purpose. Whether the goal is competition, vocation, or reconnection, the organisation helps create meaningful opportunities through horses, with the expertise, structure, and belief required to do so.