Local carriage driver Libby Priest recently returned from a busy and successful start to the season, including two international events.

Libby and her team of bay horses firstly travelled to Ashfields in Essex in April to attend team training for the World Championship squad.

She stayed on for practice event over the weekend but going into the marathon in the lead, she had a small mishap hitting a post and turning over the carriage.

Thankfully both horses and riders were unharmed.

To start the show season off at national level she headed to Catton Park in Derbyshire to compete at the first selection trials of the year - four are run to select a team to take to the World Championships.

Having a good dressage, a steady marathon and a winning cones round, Libby and her team finished in close third position but second on the selection trials board.

From there she headed to compete at Royal Windsor 3*, the only three-star event in Britain and is held in the Queen’s back garden at Windsor Castle.

This event only invites a select few competitors from across Britain and offers just three classes, but after a successful season last year where Libby won the national points league championship and reserve national champion, she gained qualification for this event.

Libby’s dressage didn’t go to plan at this event as one of her horses became very tense in the show atmosphere, but being a three-phase competition there was plenty of time to make up for this.

In the marathon she produced a solid performance to move up to 18th position going into the final phase of the competition, the cones.

This is Libby’s strongest phase, having won many rounds at national level in this discipline, and she didn’t disappoint as she drove a clear cones round with only five time penalties.

This was good enough to give her fifth place in the cones phase and moved her up to 11th overall which ensured she was the highest-placed Brit at the event for a second time.

Libby and her team then headed to Edinburgh in Scotland for an international two-star event at Hopetoun House.

Starting the dressage phase this was a much better test and she finished a close second, before tackling the marathon where her horses went very well, finishing 0.5 behind the leader.

This meant that only 3.16 separated the leader and Libby going into the cones phase.

She drove this course well to win this phase, making the time but knocking two balls.

The leader had three balls down which meant that Libby closed the gap but eventually finished only 0.16 behind and had to settle for second place.

This was also a selection event for the World Championships and currently Priest is in second position for a place on the team.

The next event for Libby is at Allerton Park for some training before heading to the Sandringham International 2* and then abroad to Holland in August for Beekbergen 3*.

If Libby does make the team for the World Championships they will be held in Slovenia at the Lipica Stud.

Libby is looking for possible sponsorship to help with travel costs for this event, as her sport is self-funded.

She would like to thank her feed sponsors Emerald Green Feeds for their support, the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company, her dad and her partner Michael for back stepping, her mum, Jacqui and Maria for their help as well as her sisters Kate and Joanna who looked after everything at home while Libby is away competing off-island.