CHILDREN in a new riding club have leapt ahead of the competition to win a national horse-riding competition.

Junior riders of the Mount Mascal Riding Club bagged the top prize at the British Riding Clubs National Indoor Show Jumping and Dressage Championships at Hartpury in Gloucestershire on March 30.

Team manager Carley Hartigan is particularly proud as the riding club only started last year.

She said: "The people from Hartpury were so impressed, they kept announcing on the tannoy that we’re just a new club and everyone took lots of photos of us."

Carley puts their galloping success down to the exceptional teaching from two Mount Mascal Stables' coaches, Adam Heightman and Fiona Jones.

The winners, aged between 11 and 16, trotted up to Gloucestershire with their families in tow.

Mrs Hartigan added: "They were all excited because Hartpury is well-known internationally and now they’re all very happy."