LYMM rider Fiona Hulme has become a national champion.

The 27-year-old and her 10-year-old horse Fez swept to glory in the Event Insurance Winter Dressage Championships in Gloucester.

Winning the Petplan Novice Restricted Championship was the quantity surveyor’s finest success in more than 20 years in the sport.

The former Lymm High School pupil, who stables Fez at Cheshire Riding School in Comberbach, said the achievement results from putting all her time, energy and focus into horses.”

“Fez rose to the occasion and was impeccable,” she said.

“Everything else pales into insignificance after this success.”

After finishing third in the group stage, Fiona and 16.2 hands high bay gelding Fez - a branded Rheinlander - sealed the success in style, scoring a highly impressive 70.86 per cent in round two.

Fiona is hoping to build on this achievement with another of her horses, Zak, with an attempt to qualify the 17-hand chestnut gelding of KWPN breed for the National Five-year-old Championship at the forthcoming Adlington Premier League Show.