Four Herefordshire riders have qualified for national equestrian finals, including Ross-on-Wye duo Evie Lawson and Lucinda Chinn, Fownhope’s Flora Macfarlane and Alice Garfield from Kilpeck, who have shone for Haberdashers’ Monmouth Schools.

Alice and Flora joined Bibi Zijlmans and Holly Thomas in qualifying for the prestigious Royal Windsor Horse Show in the team 90cm class on 12th May.

The quartet won their section in the National Schools Equestrian Association (NSEA) Show Jumping Qualifiers at Kings Equestrian Centre in Herefordshire.

They topped the class in the regional heat which attracted show jumpers from 26 schools across Herefordshire, Monmouthshire, Shropshire and Powys.

Bibi, Holly, Flora and Alice have also qualified in the team 90cm class for the NSEA national finals in Buckinghamshire which run from 21st and 22nd April.

The top six individual riders or teams in each class qualified for the NSEA national finals and Monmouth will have 10 representatives in total.

Flora and Holly joined Sophie Smith and Catherine Bird to achieve a victory the team 1m class to book their spot at the finals.

Holly will be joined by Flora, who was sixth in the individual 90cm class.

Evie Lawson and Lucinda Chinn were fourth in the 70cm team class, while Alice capped off a hugely successful day for the Monmouth riders by finishing sixth in the team 80cm class.

Team manager Camille Geisz, a keen rider and Classics teacher at Monmouth School for Girls, said: “I have been managing the schools’ equestrian team for five years and this is the first time we have qualified for the Royal Windsor Horse Show.

“We are very proud of our riders’ achievements and they will be heading to the finals in Windsor and Buckinghamshire with great excitement.”