Izzy Palmer is an 18 year old para dressage rider who was diagnosed at birth with cerebral palsy causing right hemiplegia.

Nothing could stop Izzy getting on her first horse when she was just two years old and riding helped with her balance and coordination and helped Izzy gain better use of her right arm, hand and leg.

Izzy was inspired by the London 2012 Paralympics and enjoyed watching Sophie Wells and Pinocchio so much that she became classified for para dressage at age 12 and began competing.

Izzy has had incredible success to date; she has had numerous international wins representing Great Britain, she was the reserve rider for the World Equestrian Games in 2018 and she has a place for the third time on the BEF World Class Programme. She is the current grade 4 national champion and the leading rider in the UK and ranks 5th in the world! Izzy is also due to compete in an international competition in Belgium.

Izzy has dreams of competing in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games and she needs our support to make her dreams a reality. The cost of being a para equestrian begins long before the competition arenas, with estimated annual costs of around £25,000. As you climb the levels, the cost of travel, entry fees, stabling, accommodation and training increase.

Irwin Mitchell Solicitors have supported Izzy over the years by fundraising to help her fulfil her dreams. Rachelle Mahapatra, partner and expert lawyer from our medical negligence team in Leeds, met Izzy when she presented her with an award and recognised how dedicated and determined she is to achieve success. Rachelle walked the Dales Way​ in 2017 and completed the Six Dales Challenge in 2018 and has so far raised over £5,000 for Izzy.

In the next bid to raise funds for Izzy, Andy Sloan (a previous employee of Irwin Mitchell and the husband of Rachelle's assistant, Sally) is running the London Marathon on 28 April 2019.

If you would like to support Izzy, please donate on this page.