HAMPSHIRE rider Jennie Free will represent Great Britain next month in a world championship event in Germany - but it's a far cry from the Olympic Games!

Jennie rides her pure-bred Arab horse Samiracle in TREC, which is a form of orienteering on horseback.

She won the British Horse Society's qualifying event in Lincolnshire last weekend among a field of 17 entries in her section at level four.

The 42 year old from Weston Colley, near Micheldever, says she and the other riders are regarded as 'rather odd' by their showjumping counterparts.

The two-day qualifier included a three hour session in total darkness, with horses and riders setting off at 1am on Saturday morning. "We have only a torch, a map and a compass to help us round the course," she told me. "But horses see very well in the dark and I wear a miner's lamp to enable me to see where I'm going.

"Having said that, how on earth none of us ever get lost is beyond me!"

After that, there was a six-hour session (mercifully in daylight!) on the Saturday and then a cross country obstacle course on the final day.

"We do it for fun, but most people think we're totally mad," said Jennie.

"I still do showjumping and dressage as well, but this has been a new challenge in doing something very different.

"It's a fast growing sport and most events I go to in this country are oversubscribed."

The British Horse Society recognise TREC as a major event and are sending the GB team to compete in Germany. It'll be Jennie's first international appearance.

"I don't quite know what to expect, but I'm sure we'll all enjoy ourselves," she told me.

But both Jennie and Deborah Swan from the New Forest, who's also in the GB team, have to find around £700 to finance the cost of their trip.

They leave for Germany on September 4th and are seeking sponsorship. Anyone able to help is asked to ring Jennie on 07932 760904.

l TREC (Technique de Randonne Equestre de Competition) originated in France and is designed to test a horse and rider combination through a whole range of activities rather than focusing on one particular discipline.

The competition tests their ability to find their way across country using map reading skills and to deal with all types of terrain.

It also enables them to show a safe degree of control and riding ability and to deal with the sort of obstacles and problems that can be encountered by a rider on their own in the countryside.