CEDAR Vale's Chelsea Gatti-Spinks has taken another step towards her Paralympics dream after picking up a first and a fourth place at the Nerang and District Equestrian Club's two star championships.
The 12-year-old was born with a limb deficiency and competes regularly against able bodied riders including at the championships which were held at Mudgereeba on May 30 and 31.
Chelsea, who has high hopes of qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics in her chosen sport of dressage, currently trains six days a week on her horses Boardershow Versace or Russell as he is known to Chelsea, and Crikey.
She will now turn her attention to qualifying for the National Titles in Sydney when she competes at State level on June 27 at Maryborough.
If she is successful at Maryborough it will be the second straight year she has qualified for Nationals after competing at Werribee in Victoria last year.
Chelsea said she hopes to qualify for the Paralympics when she finishes as a student at The Kooralbyn International School, but until then she will continue training and competing with Russell and Crikey.
"Russell loves competing, when he goes into the arena he knows what to do," she said.
Chelsea put a large part of her success down to her relationship with her coach.
"I'd like to thank my coach Kylie Munn, because if I didn't have her in my life I wouldn't be at this stage in dressage," she said.
"She has also helped me through a few troubles, she has been great."