KIDDERMINSTER student Leah Darby was among the winners at the prestigious National Pony Club Championships.

The competition took place over five days at the new venue of Draycott House in Derbyshire.

They staged the finals for intermediate and open level Pony Club Members across five of the major disciplines, including dressage, show jumping, eventing, mounted games and polocrosse.

Nearly 1,800 riders made it there after coming through qualifiers held across Britain.

Sixteen-year-old Darby, of Podmore, who attends Holy Trinity School, scored a memorable individual win in the Mitsubishi Motors Intermediate Eventing Championships, which consists of dressage, show jumping and cross country.

Representing the Albrighton Woodland Hunt Pony Club, she headed her section by just 0.08 of a mark in a close finish, riding the 16.1hh bay Knockenroe Classic, her partner of just eight months. Her mother Sue said: “The two are still getting to know each other so Leah was very pleased with their dressage mark of 33.21.

“She then jumped a double clear to score her third win in a row — she won the area qualifier at Offchurch Bury and an open pre-novice event at Upton House before the championships.

“The cross-country course was quite nice and well presented and Leah sailed round and took all the direct routes.”

Darby went on to spend a week with Beijing Olympic team bronze medallist Mary King, the eventing star who lives in Devon, after the championships.

“She’s gone on her own, without her horse — someone in our club knows Mary, which was how the chance came about,” Sue added.

Darby’s club-mate Lizzie Doolittle, 16 and from near Ombersley, was sixth in her section of the Intermediate Eventing Championships on her 15.3hh bay gelding Tayberry.

Doolittle, who will start an equine course at Hartpury College soon, had one show jump down in an otherwise great performance, which made little difference to the placings.

Clifton-on-Teme Pony Club’s Holly Bradshaw was second in her arena of the Champion Headwear Open Dressage Championships with a fine score of 70.76 per cent.

She went on to contest the ride-off, between the first and second-placed riders from all six arenas, and again finished second with an improved score of 70.91, just behind British Pony Club European dressage team member Amy Woodhead.

Morgan Wrighton, also riding for Clifton-on-Teme and from Tenbury, was eighth in her arena of the Intermediate Eventing Championship, completing her dressage score with the eight-year-old mare Rubesco.

Kidderminster’s Amy Blount was the star performer in the Ludlow Hunt Pony Club’s open dressage team, who finished eighth.

The 18-year-old was fourth in her arena on Gkar with 68.0.

Kirsty Imm, one of the youngest qualifiers at 12-years-old, was fifth in her arena on Northlands Royal Performance and the team was completed by Faye Hopkins on SS Sultan and Georgie Bolton on Coconut Grove.

Ludlow were also seventh in the Senior Horse and Pony Care final, where entrants are tested on their knowledge of a wide range of equine topics, from bits and shoeing to feeding and road safety.

Blount and Hopkins were joined on the team by Tenbury’s Jess Hopkins.

Wyre Forest Pony Club’s Laura Teague won her section of the Alsters Kelley Dressage to Music Championships.

The Hallow rider moved up from second in the opening dressage phase after a clear in the show jumping phase on the eight-year-old mare That’ll Cost Me.