A QUARTET from the Northallerton Riding Club finished in the money at the British Riding Clubs NAF Five Star Superflex Junior Novice Indoor Show Jumping Championship.

The indoor championship, for which teams of riders aged under 17 had qualified for from across Britain, was staged at Hartpury College, near Gloucester, and continued despite the venue being under snow first thing.

The weather improved through the day, with only a few teams unable to make the venue, and both the warm-up and competition thankfully took place indoors.

The Northallerton team were well up with the leaders after the first of two rounds, when they were lying on a total of just four faults.

They got off to the best possible start in the second round, when their first two riders in, Helperby-based sisters Lucy and Annabel Swiers, both jumped great clear rounds.

Northallerton's next rider in, 14-year-old Christie Farren, had an unlucky two fences down but their final contender, Jack Bagley, kept the team in the fight with a beautifully ridden clear.

This left them on an overall total of just four faults with only one team, from the Cheshire-based Nantwich Riding Club, able to remain on zero. The total time taken by the three top riders in teams standing on four faults then came into play, and Northallerton finished in a highly-creditable fourth place and in the line up.

Lucy and Annabel, pupils at Ripon Grammar School, both jumped double clears.

Annabel, 15, rode the 15hh horse Kilkenny Sandman, who came to her last summer and Lucy, 13, partnered the Irish Sports Horse Pony Ballinrobe Boy.

"Both girls also hunt regularly with the Bedale Hunt - their dad Stephen Swiers is the Master of Hounds," said mother Christine Swiers.

"Lucy also rides Ballinrobe Boy in BE one day events - he's a fantastic pony who does everything asked of him and is worth his weight in gold."

The pair was also eighth at the Pony Club Dengie Winter League Dressage Championship a week earlier, where Lucy was riding for the Hurworth Hunt branch.

"Annabel is taking her GSCEs this year, so doesn't have too much time for riding just now," Mrs Swiers added.

"Luckily, her horse is an uncomplicated sort you can just take straight out of the field.

She's also going to Peru in the summer with the school, as part of a worldwide challenge."

Christie, a pupil at Burroughbridge High School, rode Skylo and the pair qualified for the national Trailblazer show jumping championships last year.

Jack, also 14 and at Cundall Manor School, partnered the ten-year-old Bumble. He is also a member of the Hurworth Hunt Pony Club and is an allround sportsman who is successful at Tetrathlon.

It was the first time at the championships for all four riders and team chef d'equipe Michael Raper was the man responsible for keeping it all together.

A team from the Middleton Riding Club qualified for the NAF Magic Junior Winter Dressage finals at Hartpury, where their outstanding performance came from Shildon 15- year-old Becky Thompson. She was at her first major competition with her new horse Orlando, who is just five and scored a promising 65.36 per cent.

The team, down to three out of a possible four riders and so without the advantage of a discard score, finished just out of the running. Becky's team mates were Joanne Slatcher, on Icebreaker, and 12-year-old Jess Havakin, on Parisian.