Seventeen-year-old Jemima Daly is to take part for the second year running in the Olympia International Show Jumping Championships next week.

However, horse-mad Jemima, from Betley, outside Crewe, is now desperate to find a sponsor in order for her success to continue.

Jemima will be one of the youngest competitors in the Young Show Jumper of the Year, one of the many events happening at the Championships.

The equine-mad student spends most of her time with her three horses and Jemima has actually qualified two of them for the event meaning she will get to ride twice.

The event is to take place between Thursday December 14 and Monday December 18 and the student from Reaseheath College, Nantwich is very excited about what lies ahead.

Jemima has been show jumping since 1996 and compared to those she will be competing against this is a late start.

Jemima will be riding her horses Bally Rose and Provincial Banker and will be hoping to build on last year's experience at the championships.

"I am hoping for a placing, which means finishing in the top six, but ideally I would like to finish in the top three," explained Jemima.

Jemima has a job to fit in all her work with the horse riding as she is currently undertaking a course in Animal Care at Reaseheath College, Nantwich, but giving up horses is not an option for her.

"I do not want to give up horses and I am not allowed give up College so I don't have a choice," she said.

Jemima is now working from 6 in the morning, through college and then until often as late as 10 at night to keep her horses.

"It is a very prestigious event and a lot of the competitors will have International experience while I only have a small amount of experience," she added.

Jemima's mother, Penny, is selling up the family's country cottage in order to help with the costs of touring the country to get to events and the cost of keeping the horses.

"The sponsors would get a lot of advertising on the side of the horse trailer, the horse, on Jemima's clothes and we are on the road constantly," explained Penny.

"Everyone competing will already have a sponsor and even if it is only someone who can provide the feed, everything helps," she added.

Most of the people Jemima competes against are professional and she will be up against Robert Whitaker, the son of the successful John Whitaker, at the championships.

Jemima is now setting one eye on the future and her horse Bally Rose is considered one for the future.

Olympic appearances and International Competition both look possible for Jemima, who has covered an entire wall at home with her rosettes, and with the help of sponsorship she could have her hoof firmly in the door.

Picture of last year's tournament winner is on the e-mail and also pictured is Jemima on Bally Rose competing earlier this year.