BURNLEY 19-year-old Cara Howarth will be among the performers at one of Britain's most famous equestrian events, the Olympia International Show-jumping Championships, now being staged in London.

Cara, from Simonstone, has gained a highly prized place in the NPS Baileys Ridden Mountain and Moorland Championship which will be held on Monday, the show's final day.

Native ponies from throughout Britain have been chasing a place in the showing Championship all summer, with just a select 32 making it.

The Blackburn College Business Degree student will be riding the Connemara pony Kirtling Rob Roy and will be competing at Olympia for the second time.

"Kirtling Rob Roy also qualified in 1998 when Cara admitted she was very nervous, but she thinks she'll be less so this year," explained Cara's mother Judith Howarth.

"The pony is produced by Mandy Jackson from High Peak, who will be riding the Fell pony Townend Hamish at Olympia. It will be Mandy's 11th year at Olympia." The Howarths actually bought Robbie off Mandy, when she found she was too busy producing other people's ponies for a living to have enough time for the grey eight-year-old.

"We then had a superb Connemara and a very nice Highland pony, but they were 10 and 11 and we felt the time was right to sell them on," Judith continued.

"We bought Robbie, who is a lovely pony and a real character. We call him Mr Grumpy, not because he's nasty but because he likes his own space. If he could draw the curtains round his stable at night and just see you when he wanted to, he'd be happy."

Two days after buying him in 1998, Robbie qualified for Olympia, where he finished just inside the Top 10 with one of the best marks.

"Olympia is quite an occasion for us, as we just do it for fun," added Judith.

"Many riders dream of qualifying and we know we're very lucky to have got there twice."

All 32 ponies will be judged on ride, action, conformation, breed type and manners by two renowned native judges, and Cara will be chasing not just a top place, but the overall best of breed Connemara award, too.

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