‘I didn’t expect to win’: youngster shines at Winter Dressage Championships *H&H Plus*

Yet another teenager has impressed at this week’s NAF Five Star Winter Dressage Championships, with 13-year-old Demi Howard-Cartwright landing a win in the Petplan Equine medium under-21 area festival championship today (2 July).

Demi was riding Sarah Steggall’s 13-year-old WFS Top Red, a stallion who stands at just 14hh, and together they scored 68.77%.

“I actually didn’t expect to win as I made quite a few mistakes,” explained Demi, who is based in Surrey. “I messed up one of my simple changes, but that was my fault, and I also messed up one of my shoulder-ins, but other than that ‘Juno’ did a really nice test.”

Demi has been riding Juno for a year now and she says she is “very grateful” to his owner for giving her the opportunity to ride “such a talented” pony.

“Juno can be tricky in some ways in that he can get quite nervous and tense, but when he goes nicely, he is great,” explained Demi, who would like to make riding a career. “I’d like to thank my trainer Tracey Collis and my mum Anna, who help me so much.”

Demi also enjoyed success at these championships yesterday when finishing third on her FEI pony, Fin C We, in the Spillers medium freestyle silver championship.

Amy Richards finished second to Demi in the medium under-21 area festival championship. She was riding Eros HZ and they scored 67.89%. Florence Human was third on 66.91% riding Briljant.

Read the full report from the Winter Dressage Championships in the 8 July 2021 issue of Horse & Hound magazine, and keep checking back to horseandhound.co.uk for more news and features.

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