A TRIPLE triumph over adversity has resulted in success at the Arab National Championships at the Three Counties Showground in Malvern.
Lauren Phillips-Thomas rode Fayrelands Jewel, trained by her mother Shan, to the show jumping championship but all three have had to overcome major health problems on their way to the title.
Twenty-four-year-old Lauren has battled with ME since she was 13 but has always found that riding has helped the condition while Shan, a lifelong sufferer of clinical depression, contracted the lung condition bronchiestasis following a bout of pneumonia in 1992.
"The condition has stabilised thanks to working outdoors in this lovely county," said Shan, who is based in Leominster.
Fayrelands Jewel has also had to battle a series of leg injuries and digestive disorders before the title win.
"Two years ago this horse could not complete a course at a local show due to a lack of confidence," said Shan. "And Arabians are not normally renowned for their jumping abilities."
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