Para equestrian rider Chloe Chadwick from Ramsey and her horse Innocent Flight have returned home from the British Dressage Para Dressage Winter championships at Myerscough College Equestrian Arena as champions.

Chloe and her horse, who is known as ’Flipper’ at home, found out just before Christmas that they had qualified for the championships which were took place last week in Lancashire.

After winning the warm-up competition on the Thursday, they were entered in the championship finals last Saturday and were crowned champions.

Chloe, who is 22 years old, is registered blind, having been born with a genetic condition called anterior segment dysgenesis (ASD).

Her horse, Innocent Flight, is a 10-year-old Irish Sport Horse who she has owned and trained for six years.

She was accompanied on the trip by her parents and trainer Ivan Kelly, with whom she has worked with for the last two years.

Chloe said: ’Ivan and was invaluable while we were away and I would like to thank him immensely.

’I would also like to thank Isle of Man Sport Aid, Steam Packet Company, Equifeast UK, E.G. Services Ltd, Ballavartyn Equestrian Centre and my family and friends for all the messages of support while I was away. And especially my nanna Av for my new dressage jacket.’

When’s she’s not away competing Chloe works for most of the week as an office junior in the family firm, Phoenix Windows in Ramsey, except for Mondays when she works at Ballavartyn Equestrian Centre, helping to muck out and turn out the horses.

Her next dressage competition with Flipper will be a para dressage class organised by Isle of Man Dressage Group.

She said: ’Then it will be seeing what’s on in the UK and what we can get to. I’m going to try and qualify for the British Dressage Para Dressage Summer Championships.’

Chloe has also been nominated for the disabled sports person of the year at the Isle of Man Sports Awards which are being held on April 4.