Martina Panizza, riding her Smoking Custom Lena, won the Physical Category with a score of 216.5. "Both my horse and I were ready, she was with me all the way, truly giving her best. I managed her very well, and the result was this splendid victory. I've been riding her for about a year, with daily coaching from my trainer Christian Dalla Pozza. I am very grateful to him, Giuseppe Prevosti, the entire Ambrosini QH team, and my family who always supports me."

Paolo Muserra and With Pleasure F, owned by Rodrigo Alberti, finished in second place followed by the French rider Ophelie De Favitski on her Roosterlena.

Sara Borgonovo and her own Ginger Rooster topped the Cognitive Category with a score of 210.5. "I had a lot of fun, my horse did very well, and I'm really satisfied with him. I've been riding him for about a year though, unfortunately, he had to take a break since August and I started riding him again in December. So, this result achieved today here in Cremona is a dream come true. My instructor is Massimo Villa, with whom I train four times a week, and I would like to thank him very much for everything he teaches me."

Vittoria Marzorati and her own DC Easter Spat secured second place honors followed by Nicolò Maggi and his Wimpy Dj.

In the Promo Category, Enea Ferrone – the young Emilian rider paraplegic since birth – performed with his loyal companion of 12 years, Apache Cody. "I am proud to be here in Cremona riding my Apache. It's always a beautiful experience to enter the competition with him after all the years of work it took to make this dream a reality, a dream no one believed in... except for me. I trained my horse, designed the device to mount, and was fortunate to have the support of FISE-INAIL in designing my saddle, which was presented at Piazza di Siena during last May's CSIO of Rome. I always look forward to showing and can't wait to compete again."

The Future

"This Derby was my idea, born from the thought that there needed to be another special event in addition to the existing Championship Finals. This event was strongly supported by FISE and IRHA who wanted to create another prestigious appointment for our para-athletes. It was important to me that para-athletes had the opportunity to compete during an event such as the IRHA-IRHBA-NRHA Derby," explains Pavoni. "The Parareining Derby is open to horses of all ages. We had ten entries, which is an excellent result, including three athletes in the Physical category, six in the Cognitive category, and one competitor in the Promo category. We are also very honored by the presence of a French athlete, as she has been competing for a long time on the international stage. We studied and worked to ensure all patterns had the same number of maneuvers and a unified judging method, to give all competitors equal opportunities.

Of course, this would not have been possible without the support of significant sponsors such as ELEMENTA, represented by Maria Cecilia Fiorucci, Pietro Marseglia from Quarter Dream, and a new supporter of this initiative, Francesca Luciani."

IRHA-IRHBA-NRHA Derby Media Contact
Chiara Milani / International Horse Press