HORSES and riders from the North-East struck gold in the British Riding Clubs National Championships last weekend.
The Bishops Riding Club, from County Durham, is celebrating its best ever performance with three British titles and one unexpected second place.
The four-strong equitation jumping team of Laurie Robinson, Dawn Emerson, Julia Hather and Shirelle Wade clinched the equitation jumping contest.
Laurie, 25, from Wolsingham, took the individual title, with Dawn close behind in fourth place.
Riding her sister Emma's horse, Vice Versa, Laurie also won the novice dressage 21 individual test, helping her team to seventh overall.
The biggest surprise for the team was finishing second place in the Rural Riders competition. It was only the second time that the six riders, Laurie Robinson, Joanne Jones, Duina Beeby, Jean Welsh, Ailsa Martin and Lynne Bradwell, commanded by club chairman Margaret Hedley, had performed the complicated routine They all rode distinctive piebald or skewbald horses.
Miss Hedley said: "I think that we are the first club to get a team of coloured horses together for the Rural Riders competition and they all looked really smart.
"It was a fantastic achievement and we are all very proud.''
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