Fiona Howard has dreamed of going to the Paralympics since she started showing seriously in para-dressage in 2022, and heading into this year, her Paris hopes were saddled solely to the back of her experienced partner Jagger, a 12-year-old U.S.-bred Westphalian gelding (Johnson TN—Sigur Ros, Sandro Hit).

But in March, Francois Kasselman, who owns Hof Kasselman in Germany, where Howard now stays much of the year, mentioned he’d sent a talented Hanoverian gelding to Hof Kasselman’s Wellington, Florida, base.

Howard and her trainer and mentor, fellow para-dressage rider Kate Shoemaker, went to see the 11-year-old Diamond Dunes (De L’Or—Wibella, Wolkentanz), and both knew right away he would be the perfect fit for Howard.

With just one week’s worth of rides under their belts together, Howard and “Dunes” headed to the World Equestrian Center-Ocala (Florida) CPEDI at the end of March. There, they kicked off their competitive partnership by earning three Grade II wins.

“I definitely feel like I went into it just trying to go with the flow and see what happens,” said Howard, 25. “He was phenomenal at Ocala. He ended up overall reserve champion. After that show, I really fell in love with him.”

What followed was a whirlwind trip to Europe in May and early June where Howard helped the Perrigo U.S. Para Dressage team to a trio of gold medals at the Fontainbleau CPEDI3* (France), the Mannheim CPEDI3* (Germany) and the Hagen CPEDI3* (Germany), riding Jagger in France and Dunes in the second two competitions with increasing scores each time out. Thanks to the string of recent victories she and the team have had, the U.S. is now ranked first in the FEI world rankings for para-dressage and individually she sits at No. 9—the third highest-ranked American rider behind two of her teammates on the European tour, Shoemaker (No. 3) and Becca Hart (No. 6).

“He’s been really phenomenal,” Howard said of Dunes. “He’s a really special horse, but it was definitely unexpected. I didn’t come into this year thinking we were going to add another horse. I’m super grateful to the Kasselmans, who thought of the combination and have really trusted me to ride him. It’s been a great experience.”

Now, Howard is a step closer to making her dream come true, as she was named Friday to the short list for the U.S. Paralympic Dressage Team for Paris, with both of her horses in contention for one of the four slots that will be announced before the Aug. 5 deadline for entries.

“It would be such an honor to be able to represent the U.S. I just want to do my best and enjoy it with my horses,” she said. “I’d want to be the best teammate I can be, because they’ve been nothing but supportive on this journey, and I couldn’t have done it without them either.”

Howard grew up in England to an American mother and a British father. She rode from childhood in a variety of disciplines, including reining—she competed in two Fédération Equestre Internationale European junior championships—but when she was 16, she was diagnosed with dystonia, a condition that causes involuntary muscle contractions, tremors and deformities and took away much of her mobility. She sought treatment at Boston Children’s Hospital.

“It deformed my legs and twisted my bones,” she explained. “In my brain, when I try to move a limb, it doesn’t move in a normal way. It moves in a sporadic way. It causes a lot of tightness. I have lost a lot of control of my arms and legs. It affects grip and coordination. I had ridden horses my whole life, and because of my health I ended up in the hospital between 16 and 22 years old. In the hospital I just really missed the horses, and I felt like a huge part of my life had been taken away by my health. It became a big goal of mine to get back to horses.”

Howard graduated from Northeastern University (Massachusetts) in 2021 and was inspired to try para-dressage once she was well enough. She also took a job at Boston Children’s in cardiac research, which she’s able to do remotely.

“I just really loved the idea of [para-dressage], and I had always loved dressage as a kid,” she said. “It just felt like the right match. It challenged me and my body, and I think it helped me accept my disease a lot better. I just wanted to see where it would take me, and the dreams got bigger and bigger.”

Based on her physical abilities, Howard was classified to compete at the Grade II level. Para-dressage riders are classified from Grade I, for those with the most severe physical disabilities, to Grade V, for the least.

Howard met U.S. para-dressage team rider Shoemaker, who competes at Grade IV, at a show in 2022. Shoemaker took her under her wing, coaching her and even letting her compete her 2021 Tokyo Paralympic horse Solitaer 40. Howard has since moved to Florida where she lives when she’s not in Europe. 

“I think it’s really unique that she is coaching me, but we also get to compete alongside each other,” she said. “It’s really helpful because she knows exactly what I’m feeling, and she always has these words of wisdom when we’re showing at these different places. It’s been a really amazing experience. We’re good friends, and she’s helped me become the rider I am today and helped find amazing horses that I’ve had the opportunity to ride. I really couldn’t do it without her.”

Shoemaker connected her with Jagger in the fall of 2022, and since then they’ve traveled around Europe and to Doha, Qatar, competing at CPEDIs. “He has such a big heart. He just gives and gives,” Howard said.

Having the ride on Dunes for only three months so far has been a bit like cramming for an exam, as Howard tries to learn as much about him and build a partnership as quickly as she can. The gelding, who previously competed on the national small tour in Germany, has been an excellent study buddy, adapting quickly to Howard’s style of riding. 

“On my first ride I think our biggest area to work on was getting him going,” she said. “I don’t have good control of my legs or leg aids. After the first ride, I knew we needed to figure it out, but by ride No. 2 he was so in tune with my voice aids. He’s such a quick learner. 

“In the show ring he’s really cool,” she added. “I can go in, and I just trust him. He goes in the white boards, and he’s like, ‘I want to show everyone how amazing I am.’ You can feel him when he trots into the boards. It just gives you a really cool feeling. I really have fun with him in the ring. He’s a joy to ride.”

Howard couldn’t believe her success in Hagen, June 7-9, where she and Dunes won all of their classes and earned the gold-medal team’s top combined score in the process. 

“It was an amazing feeling. I’ve been very honored to ride with my teammates,” she said. “It was my third show in a row in Europe, and I felt like our team just got stronger and stronger. They really are so supportive, and it was a lot of fun showing with them. Everyone was so happy for each other. 

“Hagen was like the cherry on top of everything,” she added. “Winning the overall on a horse I’ve known for three months left me pretty speechless. I’m really thankful to everyone who made it happen. It was the most fun I’ve ever had at a show. Having the USEF contingent there made it even better.”

With two top horses and a talented 6- and 7-year-old in her barn as well, Howard is looking forward to her future in the sport.

“It’s been kind of a whirlwind,” she said. “I’ve really focused on enjoying the journey, and I’ve had so much fun. I feel like I’ve learned so much, and training in Europe has been incredible. My horses and my riding have gotten stronger and stronger. I’ve met so many amazing people along the way. I look at it as a journey of a lifetime. I love being around my horses and riding them and being in the stall with them and taking them on walks. Every time I compete, I just want to do my personal best, and I feel so lucky and fortunate to be on this journey. It’s been amazing to experience so many different cultures and travel the world with my horses.”