Stars of Tomorrow: Lydia Truesdale | Canterbury Sport | Surfing, Rugby, Soccer, Football, Cricket in Canterbury

Horse mad Lydia Truesdale will be giving her steed Pap extra carrots with his dinner for a while. A national win has shown they are one of the best young equestrian combinations in the country.

The 17-year-old Fendalton rider, a member of the Kowai Riding School, brought home an array of silver, rosettes and horse gear from the New Zealand Pony Club Championships in Masterton last weekend, after winning the A1 Cup, for 16 to 21-year-olds.

She was representing Canterbury, which was also the overall winning team.

A beautiful dressage test secured Lydia and Pap the lead from the outset last Friday, and a flawless cross country and show jumping the next day clinched the win.

"He just stepped up with all the atmosphere," she said. She represented Canterbury in the same competition last year, but Pap's inexperience got the better of him. Lydia put it down to a learning curve, and had confidence as the pair entered the dressage area last weekend. "But I didn't expect it to mark that well!" she said.

If Lydia had spotted any challenges when she walked the cross country with her team mates, it didn't show in her riding, and they flew around the bold course without a flicker of doubt. "I didn't get nervous, I was more excited than anything!" she said.

She loved the competition's team environment, and the six riders all got on well.

"The team atmosphere was just awesome," she said. She will be giving her horse a few weeks' holiday now, but would still be visiting the riding school. "I can't keep away!" she said.

Lydia will keep riding Pap to see what else he can do. "I'd like to see whether he can go up through the higher grades," she said.

During the winter Lydia rides several times a week, and plays rugby for her school, Rangi Ruru. She plans to attend Canterbury University next year.