First win for Amelia Brennan-Vaccaro (From Gazette & Herald)

First win for Amelia Brennan-Vaccaro

2:44pm Thursday 26th January 2012 in Equestrian

EIGHT-year-old Amelia Brennan-Vaccaro enjoyed her share of the limelight when clinching her first-ever dressage victory at the winter dressage series hosted by the RDA Unicorn Centre.

Amelia and her veteran mare, Tilly, delivered a footperfect performance that proved unbeatable on the day and put the pair at the top of the leaderboard in the Walk and Trot Pony Club B Test.

Amelia, from Thormanby, near Easingwold, has attended the unaffiliated dressage competitions at the Unicorn Centre for the past four months and has regularly featured among the rosettes, before reaching the top of her game on Sunday, January 15.

With temperatures dropping as low as minus five degrees on the day, the young rider braved the elements to travel to and take part in the competition, making victory taste that much sweeter.

The Unicorn Centre, based at Hemlington, near Middlesbrough, opened in 1998. It is a member group of the national charity Riding for the Disabled Association.

The centre has limited funding from user fees and so relies heavily on fundraising events and competitions.

It’s all still to play for as there are still four months to go in the winter dressage series and with a championship at stake; Amelia will be attending each competition and hoping to maintain her winning streak.