Julie Higgins

Higgins was born in Sydney on 28 February 1958.{{cite web |url=http://www.mosmanis.info/walloffame/web/sportsperson.php?id=62 |title=Mosman Sporting Wall of Fame – Julie Elizabeth Higgins OAM |publisher=Mosman Municipal Council |access-date=6 February 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725055530/http://mosmanis.info/walloffame/web/sportsperson.php?id=62 |archive-date=25 July 2011 |df=dmy-all}} She was born with Fanconi syndrome, which robs the bones of calcium and causes malabsorption of phosphate, vitamins, and sugar.{{cite web |url=http://www.warringah.nsw.gov.au/news_events/documents/MediaalertAustDayambassadors1.pdf |title=Warringah's Australia Day Ambassadors |publisher=Warringah Council |date=15 January 2010 |access-date=27 January 2012 }} Doctors did not expect her to live beyond the age of ten. She never crawled, and when she began to walk at the age of nearly three, she experienced severe bowing in both legs.

She took up horseriding at the age of eight, because it was the only sport at which she could compete; as a result, her soft bones re-moulded themselves around the shape of a horse. she later said that "The horse became my legs and I could ride better than I could ever walk." At the age of 22, she found that she could no longer ride because she had worn out her hip joints, and underwent her first hip replacement when she was 25.{{cite news |title=Clearing the pain hurdle and going for gold – In my medicine chest |publisher=The Daily Telegraph |date=20 May 2002 |page=61 |first=Pamela |last=Wilson}}{{cite web |url=http://www.schools.nsw.edu.au/schoollibraries/listserv/paragames/msg00106.html |title=[Para_Rap] Allow me to introduce myself |publisher=New South Wales Department of Education and Training |work=Para_Rap email list |first=Julie |last=Higgins |date=7 November 2000 |access-date=27 January 2012}}{{cite web |url=http://www.pcansw.org.au/site/ponyclub/nsw/downloads/News/2010/Magpies%20Story.pdf |title=Magpie's Story |publisher=The Pony Club of New South Wales |first=Julie |last=Higgins |date=30 June 2010 |access-date=2 February 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120329113149/http://www.pcansw.org.au/site/ponyclub/nsw/downloads/News/2010/Magpies%20Story.pdf |archive-date=29 March 2012 |df=dmy-all}} During her sixteen-year hiatus from the sport, she taught her husband, Phillip, how to ride, and was his coach and groom when he competed in eventing and show jumping. As of 2012, she works as an associate to Justice Peter Hidden of the Supreme Court of New South Wales.{{cite web |url=http://www.lawlink.nsw.gov.au/lawlink/supreme_court/ll_sc.nsf/pages/SCO_judicial_contact |title=Judicial Officer Contact Details – Supreme Court |publisher=Lawlink |date=1 February 2012 |access-date=2 February 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120716191527/http://www.lawlink.nsw.gov.au/lawlink/supreme_court/ll_sc.nsf/pages/SCO_judicial_contact |archive-date=16 July 2012 |df=dmy-all}}

File:261000 - Equestrian Julie Higgins action 3 - 3b - 2000 Sydney event photo.jpg

Inspired by television footage of the inaugural equestrian event at the 1996 Atlanta Paralympics, Higgins took horseriding up again, with the aim of competing at the 2000 Paralympics in Sydney.{{cite web |url=http://www.dressagesaddle.com.au/dressage-saddle-articles/2000/10/26/kaleidoscope-of-fortunes-finally-turns-gold-for-higgins/ |title=Kaleidoscope of Fortunes Finally Turns Gold For Higgins |publisher=The Sydney Morning Herald |first=Jodi |last=Allen |date=26 October 2000 |access-date=27 January 2012 |page=3}} Her family and friends were concerned about the impact that the sport would have on her deteriorating hip joints, and she made a pact with her husband that she would give up the sport if she did not do well at the next British national Championships for Riders with Disabilities, which were to be held six months later.{{cite web |url=http://www.australiaday.com.au/pdfs/Higgins_Julie.pdf |archive-url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20040916060611/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/33536/20030212-0000/www.australiaday.com.au/pdfs/Higgins_Julie.pdf |archive-date=16 September 2004 |title=Julie Higgins |publisher=Australia Day Council of New South Wales |access-date=27 January 2012 }}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} She won the British championships at both the national and international level in the Grade 3 classification from 1997 to 1999. After her first British championships win, her husband put aside his riding career to be her coach and motivator. In August 1999, she won two bronze medals at the 4th World Dressage Championships for Riders with Disabilities in Denmark, one in the individual grade 3 championship and the other as part of the Australian dressage team.

Three months before the 2000 Sydney Paralympics, Higgins' hip began to fail and she could no longer ride with stirrups; she had a saddle especially made for her for the competition. She had postponed a hip replacement to compete in the games. Although she was in serious pain, she could not take painkillers during the games in case they led to her being tested positive for drugs.{{cite news |title=Tears open our eyes to a different world |publisher=The Daily Telegraph |date=27 October 2000 |page=27 |first=Glenda |last=Korporaal}} She was randomly selected to work with a 14-year-old pinto gelding named Kaleidoscope for the games, formerly known as Magpie, who she admired "more than any other horse". She had previously seen him at showjumping events and had competed against the horse at state and national championships, as he had been working with riders with disabilities since 1998. He had hoof trouble two days after Higgins first met him; however, his hoof was fixed in time for the competition. Higgins won two gold medals in the Mixed Dressage – Championship grade III and Mixed Dressage – Freestyle grade III events,{{cite web |url=http://www.paralympic.org/ipc_results/search.php?sport=all&games=all&medal=all&npc=all&name=Higgins&fname=Julie&gender=all |title=Athlete Search Results |publisher=International Paralympic Committee |access-date=18 May 2012}} for which she received a Medal of the Order of Australia, and was part of the team that came fifth in the Mixed Dressage Team open event.{{cite web |url=http://www.paralympic.org/ipc_results/results.php?eclass=open&sport=equestrian&competition=2000PG&gender=x&discipline=&event=Dressage%20Team |title=Mixed Dressage Team open Results |publisher=International Paralympic Committee |access-date=27 January 2012}} She was Australia's first equestrian Paralympic gold medallist. She had her sixth hip replacement in February 2001 and returned to riding, once again winning the New South Wales State Championship Dressage title for Riders With Disabilities and the perpetual trophy for the highest point score.

Higgins was named the Australian Paralympic Committee's female paralympic athlete of the year for 2000.{{cite news |title=More Gold for Julie |publisher=The Weekly Times |date=15 November 2000 |page=66}} That year, she received an Australian Sports Medal,{{cite web |url=https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/979772 |title=Higgins, Julie Elizabeth: Australian Sports Medal |publisher=It's an Honour |access-date=27 January 2012}} and in 2001, she received a Centenary Medal.{{cite web |url=https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/1123750 |title=Higgins, Julie: Centenary Medal |publisher=It's an Honour |access-date=27 January 2012}} She also received an Award of Excellence for International Competition from the Equestrian Federation of Australia, a Sir Roden Cutler Award, and the 2002 Australia Day Sportsperson of the Year award from the City of Hawkesbury.{{cite news |url=http://www.hawkesburygazette.com.au/news/local/sport/other/julie-takes-top-honour/571255.aspx |title=Julie takes top honour |publisher=The Hawkesbury Gazette |first=Tara |last=Searle |date=30 January 2002 |access-date=3 February 2012}}{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} She was also named Horse Magazine{{'}}s Rider of the Year. She has served as an Australia Day Ambassador for various local government areas of New South Wales.{{cite web |url=http://www.australiaday.com.au/gic_h.htm |archive-url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20030211130000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/33536/20030212-0000/www.australiaday.com.au/gic_h.htm |archive-date=11 February 2003 |title=2003 Events – Regions Beginning with H |publisher=Australia Day Council of New South Wales |access-date=27 January 2012}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}

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Category:1958 births

Category:Living people

Category:Australian female equestrians

Category:Australian dressage riders

Category:Paralympic equestrians for Australia

Category:Paralympic gold medalists for Australia

Category:Paralympic medalists in equestrian

Category:Equestrians at the 2000 Summer Paralympics

Category:Medalists at the 2000 Summer Paralympics

Category:Les Autres category Paralympic competitors

Category:Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia

Category:Recipients of the Australian Sports Medal

Category:Sportswomen from New South Wales

Category:Equestrians from Sydney

Category:20th-century Australian sportswomen