Riding for the Disabled Isle of Man entered 12 riders into a Virtual National Championships for the first time recently.

In total there were 274 participants from across 54 groups, therefore the standard of competition was strong.

The tournament was streamed over a weekend and the top three in each class were shown.

The Isle of Man team did fantastically and placed in every class entered.

When Douglas City Mayor Natalie Byron-Teare heard about how well the riders did, she invited them for a presentation evening at City Hall.

The riders were joined by family, volunteers, the team from the Guilcagh Stables in Andreas and members from Manx Horse Council and Isle of Man Sport to receive their many rosettes.

Riding for the Disabled Association chair Jackie Turnbull commented: ‘Being invited to celebrate our riders successes at the city hall is a great honour.

‘We are so proud of what our team of volunteers and riders have achieved in everything they do, but also in this important competition’

A representative from the coaching team added: ‘We knew that our riders were fantastic, but we watched on in awe as they totally smashed the competition.

‘We are so lucky to be able to have the use of the amazing horses from the Guilcagh Stables and are incredibly grateful of Rose and her team.

‘The support we’ve had from Manx Horse Council and Isle of Man Sport has been sensational.’

- Riding for the Disabled Isle of Man is a 100 percent volunteer-run and self-funded charity that provides positive horse experiences for the island’s residents with additional needs.

For more information about the island branch of the Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA), visit its website which can be found at https://rda-iom.co.uk

Alternatively, visit the ‘Riding for the Disabled Isle of Man’ page on Facebook or follow them on Instagram @isleofmanrda