A BARNSLEY police officer said it was a ‘privilege’ to take part in an international horse riding competition.

The South Yorkshire Police Saddle Club has represented the force and the UK in the competition which took place in the Czech Republic.

Emma-Jo Thorpe, Faye North and Tracey Brown travelled to Brno to take part.

The first part of the competition was a ‘derby-style’, requiring riders to jump fixed and knock down jumps which had to be completed in an optimum time.

Emma jumped a perfect, clear round and was just two seconds outside the optimum time, finishing in third place.

The next phase of the competition is a ‘nuisance test’ named a ‘Pakur’.

This is a test of riding ability and horse bravery, with the duos having to pass through obstacles that are similar to those used in public order training, including jumping over fire, target shooting and breaking through barriers.

Faye finished with 15 penalties and Emma with ten penalties, putting her in fifth place.

There were over 30 competitors from across seven countries at the championships.

Emma finished the overall competition in fourth place and secured the championship for the best placed international rider.

She said: “We always feel very privileged to be invited to this competition and it’s a great opportunity to speak to those from across the world of policing.

“All the other competitors took their own horses to compete on, so we had the added level of difficulty of riding horses that were not used to our riding, or us of them, and while horses are all trained in the same way, they all have their own personalities and quirks.

“It was an honour to represent SYP and the UK.”