UPPER Hunter rider Lisa Martin has praised her support network as she prepares to embark on a trip of a lifetime to Rio for the Paralympics.
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Martin hosted a farewell function in Scone on Sunday to thank her family, friends, and team for their role in her selection.
She then gave the crowd a performance similar to what will be expected in South America on her well-known mare First Famous.
“I looked through more than 200 horses before picking this one,” she said.
“We had to do a few simple changes [for Rio], which took up a lot of time, but she knows her job.
“These guys aren’t machines, they’re just horses. You can’t put too much pressure on them, so I’m just looking at it as another event.
“This might be the last time we see this horse in Australia now.”
Martin will fly out on August 2 with First Famous and then spend more than a week competing in the dressage event.
The Paralympic Games will be held from September 7-18.
Following the Paralympics, she will turn her attention towards another major goal.
“I want to be the first para and able-bodied rider to represent my country,” she said.
Martin plans to make the trek Germany to train until around December before eyeing off the World Equestrian Games, an able-bodied event, in Canada in 2018.
