THE Friars Hill Riding Centre team made the journey to Warwickshire College last weekend to compete in the National Riding Schools championships.

To qualify each riding school must be an approved British Horse Society approved centre and all riders must be non-horse owning riders.

In order to qualify, the centres must run a competition with the same format as the classes run at the championships, with the top three from each class qualifying.

The first three classes involve a dressage test, a show jumping round and a practical stable management test and classes four and five being a dressage test with the last class being an overall score from all five classes.

Rebecca Champion managed to make it a second-year successive win in class two. Last year she won this class riding Blaze and this year retained her title riding Greystokes Choice.

Jess Thurlow, for the second year running retained her second place in the line-up, again riding Greystokes Choice, but managed one better in class five, riding Maybe Baby, which was a new class for this year involving just a dressage test, where she managed a clear win with a one per cent lead from her nearest rival.

Sandra Thurlow, Haley Copley and Fiona Hardman were pleased to hear that they had earned an extra prize for effort. The Friars Hill quiz team, Amy Newman, Rebecca Champion, Fiona Hardman and Amy Ring were also on form after having qualified at the regional final to finish a creditable third at the championships.

The results were:

Class 1 under 12 – 3 Charlotte Hutch-inson & Nicky, 8 Charlotte Beal & Jack, 10 Chloe Gamble & Jack.

Class 2 13 &17 years – 1 Rebecca Champion & Grey-stokes Choice.

Class 3 over 18 years – 2nd Jess Thurlow & Greystokes Choice, 8 Haley Copley & Blaze, 9 Sandra Thurlow & Blaze.

Class 4 17 years & under dress-age – 2 Rebecca Champion riding Grey-stokes Choice, 4 Fiona Hardman & Jack, 5 Jody Salton & Maybe Baby, 8 Charlotte Hutchinson & Nicky, 10 Charlotte Beal & Jack.

Class 5 over 18 dressage – 1 Jess Thurlow & Maybe Baby, 4 Haley Copley & Blaze, 5 Sandra Thurlow & Blaze.