Ronie Thomas, from Ross-on-Wye, was crowned the Schools 70cm Winter Champion at the ‘Just for Schools’ Winter Championships last month.

Ronie, aged 13, won the event at the David Broome Event Centre, Wales and West. Riding for John Kyrle High School, Ronie and her pony, Didi II jumped an impressive double clear to storm ahead of the competition with a fast time.

Speaking about her performance Ronie said:?“In order to try our best at the Championships we warmed up nicely and planned our route and turns, then, we went in the ring and flew round with some great turns and hoped we had done enough.

“We had a really fun day and I was over the moon to win!”

Proud Mum Zoe added: “We had a great experience and particularly liked the new jumps the David Broome Event Centre have, they were fun and interesting and added a new challenge”.

The run-up to a Championships can be hard work. Ronie said:?“Planning for the Winter Championships was a lot of preparation. Didi II is always fit and enjoys a varied routine, so we made sure to maintain this, as well as doing lots of hill work out hacking to help build her muscle strength.”

The ‘Just for Schools’ League, run by British Showjumping, offers riders the chance to compete individually or as a team in classes ranging from 70cm to 1.10m with the chance to qualify for the Championships.See this week’s paper for more stories like this, available in shops and as a Digital Edition now