NORTH Yorkshire rider Kate Sigsworth was among the competitors at the Windsor International Three-Day Event.

Sigsworth, from Raskelf near York, was competing in the Hartpury College Young Riders British Championship against the best eventers aged 21 and under in the country.

The 19-year-old finished in sixth place on eight-year-old grey Just Jay, moving up the order from the opening dressage phase and surviving a nasty moment on the daunting 24-fence cross-country course.

"My horse didn't do a bad dressage - my trainer Sally Sweirs came down with me to Windsor and helped with this," Sigsworth said.

"Then we slipped up on the flat between fences on the cross-country course but luckily a spectator caught Just Jay for me - he said he was glad to give me him back as he didn't like horses!

"I had a bit of a dead leg and had a long wait for the paramedics but I'd only twisted my knee and was able to get back on and complete the course, taking all the direct routes."

The pair remarkably jumped clear to move into seventh place at that stage. Just Jay had also banged his knee and both horse and rider needed intensive physio to make the final showjumping phase.

"I was heavily strapped up on the last day, but Just Jay passed the vet inspection so we were able to showjump.

"He did really well show-jumping and had just one fence down - I was really thrilled with him as I wasn't much help to him by that stage. I was determined to finish the event, though, and qualify for next year's young rider events."

Sigsworth, who works as a waitress in the evenings to help pay for her equestrian activities, also has the young horse Tina's Raffle, who has jumped clear cross-country in both her two pre-novice outings to date.

Lucy Holliday from Thirlby, finished 13th in the Young Riders Championship at Windsor, riding Pace Setter.

The pair were 14th after dressage and added just 5.6 time penalties on the steeplechase course on cross-country day, where they jumped clear inside the time on the main course. However, two showjumps down on the last day dropped them from a possible eighth place.

Updated: 10:46 Saturday, October 06, 2001