Turner helps Britain to Mounted Games glory (From Dudley News)

Turner helps Britain to Mounted Games glory

10:00am Saturday 6th October 2012 in Sport

HAGLEY equestrian star Ellie Turner is celebrating after helping Britain to Mounted Games glory.

The 15-year-old and her pony Nike were part of the under-17 side which recorded a resounding victory at the European Championships in Turin, Italy.

Turner and her team-mates battled in sweltering conditions, which reached as high as 40 degrees celsius, over five days of competition to eventually finish well clear of second-placed France.

Delighted mum Sue said: “I’m so proud of her, it was a great performance as the team won all of their heats in the competition.

“Ellie is very much the baby of the team being only 15 so it really is fantastic.”

Mounted Games consist of relay and obstacle races which involve speed and accuracy. Riders sometimes have to dismount if they make a mistake — meaning re-mounting or ‘vaulting’ is a key skill.

Turner has plenty of experience and has been riding since the age of five, competing domestically for Bedfordshire.

With the British team winning so comfortably, perhaps the toughest part of the championship involved the two-and-a-half day journey to reach the venue.

Sue explained: “Because we were taking the ponies with us we travelled by boat and then drove the rest of the way.

“The British team were all together and on convoy. It was pretty arduous but it did help build team spirit, if any of the vans broke down everyone stopped to help fix it.”