CAROLINE Richards made the journey over the border to Wales to contest the Chepstow International Horse Trials.

The 22-year-old pastry chef was in the pre-novice three-day event for up-and-coming horses and amateur riders.

Richards, of Worcester, finished in a fine seventh place on the Irish-bred ex-racehorse Passed Out, who once raced over hurdles at Haydock and has been with her for 18 months.

"I was pleased with the way my horse behaved in the opening dressage phase and we were lying 14th at that stage," said Richards.

"He went really well cross-country - we were the only ones to come home right on the optimum time - but we had 7.2 time penalties on the steeplechase section in the speed and endurance phase."

However, Passed Out more than made up for this hiccup on the cross-country course and "flew round" a technical and testing course.

"He's a thoroughbred and I'd got him very fit so the time was no problem for him," Richards said.

The Cropthorne and Evesham Vale Riding Club member now heads to the Riding Club area qualifiers at Broadway.

"We will then do our first affiliated one-day event at Cheltenham in mid-July," she added.