TWO West Wales riders and their retrained racehorses have been crowned national champions after winning the Level 1 title at the Endurance GB Club Championships at the British Horse Feeds Red Dragon Festival of Endurance in mid Wales.

Sophia Parry, 16, from Pencader, and Sophie Spiteri, 37, from Newcastle Emlyn, formed the backbone of the victorious More Go Than Woah team alongside Beth Kerslake from Leicestershire.

Competing in their first season in endurance riding, the trio claimed the title in the Level 1 final, demonstrating stamina, consistency and skilled horsemanship across challenging terrain.

Adding to the success, Sophie’s 12-year-old former National Hunt racehorse Caroline’s Charm (Dodge) finished as the highest-scoring individual horse in the championship final. Sophia rode River Meadows (River), a 10-year-old ex-racehorse owned by Sophie, who completed every ride entered during his debut endurance season.

Endurance riding sees competitors tackle marked cross-country routes over varying terrain while meeting set speed parameters. Strict veterinary checks before, during and after rides ensure horse welfare remains the sport’s top priority.

Reflecting on her first season, Sophia said: “Endurance was completely new to me this year and to finish as part of the winning More Go Than Woah team at Red Dragon was really special. Having only started working with Sophie a few months ago, I feel so lucky to be trusted with River.”

Sophie, founder of Spiteri Retraining, said: “We started the season just wanting to give our ex-racehorses a fresh challenge and have some fun. To finish as national Club Champions is beyond anything we expected.

“Dodge raced more than 30 times and has truly found the job he was made for.”

Earlier this season, both horses represented Wales at the Home International in Scotland, helping the team secure victory, while Dodge also won the individual 43km class.