A TALENTED young rider has moved a step closer to fulfilling her Olympic equestrian ambitions.

Anne-Marie Perry, a year 11 pupil from Teesside High School, Eaglescliffe, is one of only five riders in the country to be selected for the British Equestrian Federation 2003 World Class Start Dressage Programme.

It will be her second year of training under the World Start programme and her selection confirms that the judges see genuine Olympic potential in the 16-year-old rider.

Anne-Marie has been trained by her mother and has won many dressage awards. Only last week she was presented with the Equestrian Excellence Award at the Stockton Schools' Sports Awards.

Last summer, Anne-Marie gave a dressage demonstration to her fellow pupils at Teesside High School on the school's riverside playing fields.

The school's headmistress, Mrs Hilary French, said that the teachers and pupils were excited by Anne-Marie's success. "She is training for the Olympics in 2008, so we are looking forward to following her blossoming career."