With 28 riders in the event, the field was narrowed to a top nine before the judges looked favourably on Taelar whose horses Comet (hack) and Mayflower Bumblebee (galloway) took the top honours.

The 15-year-old was surprised to win the event after damaging her foot the night before.

“It was not my best performance because I couldn’t push out enough with my foot,” she said.

In an unlikely incident Taelar fell down a small hole and hurt her foot while negotiating around her horse float.

Her foot was so swollen that she broke the zipper on the boots she competes in when she tried to squeeze into them.

Despite the setback she was thrilled with her win.

“I was stoked,” she said.

Taelar had to complete a four-minute workout on each horse to compete in the top nine.

It was not the only success for the 15-year-old at the ACT and Southern NSW hack championships last weekend. Taelar also became the Reserve Champion Amateur Hack, Reserve Champion Amateur Galloway, placed in the top five in the under 15 to 17 rider category and was fifth overall in the open galloway category.

Taelar has had a remarkable year, as of October she was the number one junior show rider in the country according to Horse Scene Magazine and has already qualified for the Grand National Championships in March next year.

Taelar summed her achievements in one word - “wow”.

The teenager has been competing in hacking for three years and said the social aspect of the sport was another bonus.

“I have met heaps of people from all over the country and have made some good friends as a result of the sport,” she said.

Taelar thanked her parents and trainer Les Friend for their support.