A SAUCHIE woman has been named the UK Riding for the Disabled Association national champion.

Lizzie Jackson, representing the Forth RDA Driving group, fended off tough competition to become the champion at Hartpury, Gloucestershire.

Alongside horse Cobble, she entered the tournament in the carriage driving category and while it wasn’t plain sailing, she was left speechless when she was announced as the winner.

Speaking to the Advertiser, Lizzie said: “I am still completely shocked that I won my first national event with carriage driving.

“The experience was amazing. I thought I had totally lost it as I caused poor Cobble to hit his roof against the white board as I drove too close to the edge during the first circle in the dressage.

“There were 10 drivers in my novice class and I thought I would be in the bottom half, so I was totally gobsmacked and speechless when they called my name as the winner.

“I actually asked if they had added up the scores correctly.”

Lizzie uses a wheelchair and is also deaf, however she still manages to compete in a variety of different sports, dressage just one of them.

As a reward, she collected a trophy and a red rosette during the awards ceremony, before another big highlight came as she was presented to Princess Anne.

Lizzie recounted: “She was so lovely and when she asked me how I thought I had done, I told her what happened and she sort of gave me a look that said she knew how I felt.

“I didn’t know that I had won before I met her.”

Lizzie is a representative of the Forth RDA Driving group, which trains several disabled riders from Clackmannanshire.

Eileen Turnbull, a volunteer with Forth RDA, explained that Lizzie was currently hosting a fundraiser to cover costs for a trip to Geneva.

Eileen added: “Lizzie participates in multiple sports and is a great ambassador for multiple sports.

“She has recently been fundraising for a trip to Geneva for the upcoming football tournament. Disabled athletes are constantly fundraising for equipment, transport and training costs.”