It earned the Ford ace a coveted ticket to the finals at October's Horse Of The Year Show.

The qualifying event was held at the Unex Towerlands Equestrian Centre, Essex and attracted an unprecedented number of competitors.

Primary school deputy headteacher Kathleen won the Cob class with her seven-year-old coloured gelding Bristol Blue.

She bought him in October last year, having found him by chance after mentioning to a friend she wanted to buy a coloured cob.

His other achievements include supreme champion at the Festival of the Hunter and qualifying for the Royal International Horse Show in the coloured class.

"He is placed at every county-level outing in working cob classes. He needs a three-minute warm up and that's it – he really is a superstar!" said owner-rider Kathleen.

With more than 100 entries, Richard Ramsay judged conformation and David Bartram, with help from Matthew Maher-Burns, was the ride judge.

There were classes for riding horse/hack, cobs, ponies, Riding Club show horse, show and working hunters as well as the increasingly-popular racehorse to riding horse class.

"Each year the standard of turnout gets better and better – a lot have no experience of showing and the numbers that come forward are phenomenal. There was a good competitive attitude," said Richard.

The competition is open to amateur riders and horses that have never before qualified for the Horse Of The Year Show or the Royal International Horse Show Championships.

The competition gives people a chance to compete at the Horse Of The Year Show who would not normally get the chance, and helps them learn more about the best way to produce a show horse.

The South Essex Insurance Brokers Search For A Star Championship finals will be held at the Horse Of The Year Show, which takes place from October 8 to 12 at NEC, Birmingham.

For more information, visit www.search4astar.org.uk