SOME of the country's top horse riders, including Barnard Castle's Karen Dixon, will compete over three days of trials at Witton Castle, near Bishop Auckland, at the weekend.

Ms Dixon's fellow Olympian, Ian Stark, from Scotland, is among 450 competitors entered in the trials which will raise money for St Teresa's Hospice, in Darlington, and the Mark Davies Injured Riders Fund.

Riding her mother's horse, Get Smart, Ms Dixon helped the British team to a silver medal in her first Olympic Games at Seoul, in 1988.

At both Atlanta and Barcelona she was the highest-placed British rider. She took her horse Too Smart to Sydney 12 months ago in pursuit of individual honours.

Dressage and show jumping start at Witton at noon tomorrow and continue through Saturday and Sunday, when the cross-country course will also be in action. There are pre-novice, novice, intermediate, open intermediate and advanced classes.

The Princess Royal was a spectator at last autumn's event, when her daughter, Zara Phillips, finished third in her class.

A similar event to be held at the castle in the spring had to be cancelled because of the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak.

Entry to the castle grounds costs £5 per car.