DISABLED dressage rider Julia Horton from Goytre has achieved a lifetime’s best in the sport by coming third in an international para event.

The talented sportswomen has overcome many odds to ride with the best and gain a podium position at the showcase event in Yorkshire.

But one of her biggest handicaps - in her ambition to reach the top and represent Great Britain in the Tokyo Paralympics in 2020 - is lack of sponsorship.

She is hoping that similar impressive showings in competition might attract potential backers to make her sporting existence a little less fraught.

In the three-day competition at Beverley, where she represented Great Britain, she came third and second after her performances to gain an overall third place.

“To represent Great Britain and be in the top three places is just amazing,” admitted the 43-year-old competitor.

And all this was done on her mount, 11-year-old Premier Joyful Moon aka Joyce which she has bred and trained.

‘It’s always a struggle because I hardly get any funding,” said Julia who has even had to stay in her trailer at previous events.

She hopes to emulate her Yorkshire success in the forthcoming para summer championships at Solihull and next year at the three-star level event at Hartpury in Gloucestershire.

She confided, “To have somebody backing you at such events makes life an awful lot easier. It takes a lot of the worry off you. I’m hoping to improve all the time.”

For the moment she is grateful for the support she receives from pals Rachael Nash and Wendy Lillygreen.

Rachael said, “Julia was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma in 1999, and has endured years of treatment and surgery since.

“Chemotherapy she had destroyed most of the ligaments in her leg, and left her with severe osteoporosis.

“This means she walks with a crutch - often two - and is susceptible to broken bones just doing everyday activities.”

She added, “Despite all this she has produced her own horse to international standard, with very few resources.

“I would love to raise Julia’s profile and try to secure her a sponsor - but because she is over 30 and lives in Wales, she is not eligible for the same funding that her English counterparts are. This is grossly unfair, even though all ride for Team GB.”

Anyone willing to offer some sponsorship support to Julia can do so by contacting her on [email protected]

Away from the sport, Julia hopes to study for a degree in professional counselling which would lead to work for the police or other partner agencies including the health service.

She already does voluntary teaching work for the Aneurin Bevan Health Board.

“It’s a way of giving something back to those who have helped,” she said.