Riders from a riding school for the disabled in South Derbyshire are preparing to saddle for in a national competition next month.

Scropton Riding for the Disabled will this year be sending eight riders to the finals of the RDA National Championships.

The event, run by the Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA), will take place from July 13 to July 15.

The riders from Scropton have qualified across three disciplines; dressage, show jumping and the countryside challenge.

The team are now training hard to be ready for the three-day show which will be held at Hartpury College in Gloucestershire.

Matthew Dalley, one of the riders taking part in the competition, said: "I'm really excited about competing at the National Championships against RDA riders from across the country.

Eight riders from Scropton Riding for the Disabled will head to Gloucestershire for the RDA Nationals

"It's going to be great fun to have our team at the event and be able to cheer each other on.

"We're all training hard with the hope of coming home with lots of rosettes!"

The trip is set to cost the group around £1,000 and so bosses are now looking for donations to help them take the riders, horses and supporters to the competition.

Mark Hopwell, charity manager at the centre, said: "We are very proud of our riders' achievements and absolutely delighted to have such a big team competing at the Nationals.

"Our challenge now is to fund the trip to Hartpury so that they all get a chance to show what they can do at this national event."

Scropton Riding for the Disabled has an online donation store on its website where supporters make donations towards special events and the everyday running of the centre.

Anyone who wants to support Team Scropton can get in touch by calling 01283 812753 or visiting www.scropton.com