A 20-YEAR-OLD rider from Thirlby, near Thirsk, has been short-listed for the British three-day event team due to compete at this year's Young Rider European Championships.

Lucy Holliday, currently in her last year as a history student at Newcastle University, is one of 13 riders on the short list with her grey mare High Times.

The pair finished 12th at the Windsor CCI** three-day event in Berkshire this season, jumping a good double clear to bring them firmly to the selectors' attention.

Lucy said: "High Times is nine now - I've had her for two seasons and she hadn't evented previously.

"She also recently went very well at the Aske Hall one-day event near Richmond. There she performed one of her best dressage tests and we were fifth at that stage, and moved up to second after clears in the cross-country and show jumping phases."

The pair will go on to the final selection trial for the Young Riders team at Henbury Hall one-day event in Cheshire at the end of August.

The British squad will be announced shortly after and the chosen riders will go to the Under-21 European Championships in Portugal in late September.

Lucy added: "I was short-listed for the team two years ago, on a different horse, but didn't make the team in the end.

"It would be great to be chosen this time, but I'm not getting my hopes up too high as there are some very good riders on the short list and I've not competed abroad before."

Lucy also intends to enter the horse for the British Intermediate Championships in early August, held at the British Festival of Eventing at Gatcombe Park in Gloucestershire and a renowned proving ground for up and coming international prospects.

"I may also run her in an advanced section at the Scottish Championships at Thirlestane Castle in August, but High Times is still quite inexperienced so we'll see how she is going before I finally decide," Lucy added.

The talented young rider also has the seven-year-old bay Stanhopes Tokalosh, whom she has owned from a yearling. The horse is also competing at intermediate level and Lucy hopes to run him at the Hartpury College CCI** three-day event, also in Gloucestershire, in mid-August.