A PRESTEIGNE horse rider claimed gold at the Helvoirt 2* European Championships in the Netherlands.

Franky Reid-Warrilow, with her mare Dolly Whisper, gave a masterclass in all three phases to win by a convincing seven points.

The horse was third last to go in the dressage arena and produced a stunning test.

But Reid-Warrilow produced a professional, mistake free performance, with the mare being attentive and expressive throughout.

The highlight came in the pair's last medium trot, where Dolly Whisper belied her small stature to show unrivalled power that wowed both the judges and audience.

The dressage concluded with the British duo taking the lead ahead of the Hungarian pair of Csaba Sarkozi and PK Halle Berry.

Meanwhile, in the team standings, Great Britain made a fantastic start.

A harmonious team test, followed by a leading individual score and good solid performances underneath from all six combinations, gave Great Britain a 10 point overnight margin ahead of the Germans.

Cross country day saw temperatures hitting 30 degrees, with the course deemed a true championship test.

But Dolly Whisper and Reid-Warrilow set out meaning business, with a faultless round seeing them breeze through the finish line seven seconds under the optimum time to increase their lead to 2.7 penalty points, although still less then a fence in hand overnight.

However, Great Britain slightly fell by the wayside and lost their gold medal chance to the German team.

The team did hang on to a bronze medal though ahead of Belgium.

The final phase saw a showjumping track set in the Helvoirt's packed main arena.

But despite a number of faults by her team-mates, Reid-Warrilow piloted her mare to her most notable clear round to convincingly claim top position and an individual gold medal.

Her feat also saw Great Britain clinch silver prize.