TWENTY years after first competing at equestrian events, Louise Harwood has recorded her best season to date.

The Eardisley rider has achieved the impressive the remarkable feat of being ranked the fifth best British rider while boasting a horse, Whitson, who has been crowned the country's best.

The 38 year-old now has some downtime to recover from a busy seven months which has seen her compete at events most weekends both in this country and abroad.

Among her most notable moments in 2014 was recording her best ever four-star finish at the Burghley Horse Trials - the pinnacle eventing championship - by finishing 12th in the September tournament.

The honour came while riding Mr Potts, another horse she has seen plenty of success with.

"It's gone really well this year and has been my best ever eventing season," said Harwood.

"I finished being ranked fifth best British rider and was on the reserve list for the World Equestrian Games in Normandy, northern France.

"And Whitson has been named the best horse in the country. So it has been a really eventful few months."

Harwood's fifth place ranking is all the more remarkable considering she has just three horses that she regularly competes with; 11 year-old Whitson, Mr Potts, who is 12, and ten-year-old Jenga.

"Many of those I'm competing against have about ten or 12 horses," she said.

Her achievements were recognised during an Event Horse Owners Association (EHOA) dinner in Berkshire recently when she was presented with the Calcutta Cup for the most points scored over the season.

Whitson was awarded the Wideawake Trophy for the best British Bred horse which will go to his owners and breeders, Herefordshire-based Roy Baker and Emma Baker-Jones.

At the function, Harwood also collected a rosette and a cheque for £1,000 for finishing third in the Britannia League, a new competition for points scored in Three Star competitions in the UK.

And having completed her best ever season, her focus is unsurprisingly turning to next year where she hopes to be selected with Whitson for the Great Britain squad for the 2015 European Championships in northern Scotland.

"Next year is the European Championships and I'm hoping to be selected for that," she said.

Success at the championships would be a far cry from the situation she found herself in 15 years ago.

Her equestrian career was very nearly cut short not long after beginning when she suffered a car accident while preparing for her finals at Cardiff University 15 years ago, where she studied Applied Biology.

She has had various operations since and still feels some of the effects today, but it made her more determined than ever to succeed at her chosen sport.

"I think it taught me to continue with riding to prove a point and not to let anything beat me," she said.

"I was always keen on riding.

"My mother was always keen on racehorses. I tried everything, including point to point, but I most liked eventing so that is what I continued with."

In the past, Harwood was a keen member of the Radnor and West Hereford Pony Club, taking part in dressage, showjumping and eventing.

After successfully completing her studies at Cardiff she went on to gain a Post Graduate Diploma in Applied Equine Science from the Royal Agricultural College in Gloucestershire.

Having chosen eventing as her preferred sport she went on to win the Welsh Championships in 2003 and 2008 and the Blair Castle three day event in 2005.

She competed in her first four star event at Burghley in 2006 before winning the Laurence Rook trophy at Badminton the following year for the best British first timer.

More recently, Harwood has seen success at Monmouth, Homme House near Ledbury, Dauntsey and Mount Ballan.

And now, during the eventing season which runs from March to October, Harwood is away from Herefordshire home "nearly every weekend" competing, although she wouldn't have it any other way.

Harwood has 12 horses in her yard that may one day join the ranks of Whitson, Mr Potts and Jenga.

She is on the lookout for sponsors to help her get through the 2015 season and is asking businesses in and around Herefordshire if they wish to help her out.

Any interested firm can contact her via her website harwoodeventing.co.uk