The Spinal Research Institute (SRI) is proud to welcome Paralympian, para-equestrian and dressage competitor Emma Booth as its inaugural Community Ambassador.
Emma brings powerful lived experience, strong community connections and an established platform that will help SRI reach new audiences, raise awareness of spinal cord injury (SCI) research, and connect more people living with SCI — along with their families and supporters — with the Institute’s work.
Research is strengthened by a close connection with the people it seeks to benefit. Ambassadors like Emma help build that connection, bringing lived experience and community voices into the conversation, and helping more people understand the value of research in shaping health and wellbeing outcomes for those living with spinal cord injury.
Fittingly, as SRI welcomes Emma to the community, she is competing on the world stage — representing Australia at the FEI World Championships in Aachen, Germany, one of the biggest events on the equestrian calendar.
Emma’s story
In 2013, a car accident left Emma with a spinal cord injury and paraplegia. Just six months later, she was back in the saddle — beginning a new chapter as a para-dressage rider.
Since 2016, she has represented Australia at the Rio and Tokyo Paralympic Games, the FEI World Equestrian Games (Tryon, 2018) and the FEI World Championships (Herning, 2022) — and this month, she returns to the world stage at the FEI World Championships in Aachen. We’ll be following your journey in Aachen with pride.
Emma’s story of resilience, and her return to elite international competition, was featured in House of Wellness magazine, published nationally inside News Corp Sunday papers on 16 August — part of SRI’s partnership with the Chemist Warehouse.
Emma is also scheduled to appear in a live radio interview and an online feature later this year. Emma will further support the promotion of the Institute’s Consumer Engagement Program, helping connect more people living with spinal cord injury, their families and supporters with our vision and mission.
Welcome to the SRI community, Emma!
