THE Riding for the Disabled National Championships is RDA’s flagship event, bringing together hundreds of competitors of all abilities in events, including dressage, countryside challenge, vaulting, horse care and knowledge, arts and crafts, best turned out and musical ride.

The championships has grown year-on-year and is now bigger than the Paralympics and Para World Championships combined.

In previous years it has proved a springboard for the Paralympics, with many of the current Team GB having competed at the championships.

Since 2002, the Riding for the Disabled National Championships have been held at Hartpury College, in Gloucester.

Riders who compete at the championships will have first qualified at a regional qualifying competition in one of our 18 regions.

Riders from all over the country compete at the championships and come away with a sense of achievement, great confidence, new friends, not to mention the odd rosette.

Last weekend, three pupils from Welburn Hall School Riding for the Disabled Group attended the Riding for the Disabled National Championships at Hartpury in Gloucestershire.

The atmosphere was terrific and the competition strong in the large classes, which included competitors from England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Bethany Fuguill riding DD finished a creditable third in the Countryside Challenge. She also picked up another third in the Combined Training in the junior section.

Simon Rettig riding Mocca Choca Magic (Hattie) came fourth in the senior section of the Combined Training. Oliver Brooke also took part on Hattie after qualifying at Wakefield earlier this summer.

The Welburn Hall competitors were trained by Elspeth Crookenden, who said: “All the students were fabulous, along with all their support team, and all thoroughly enjoyed it.”