IF effort expended is directly proportional to outcome then Luli Loveridge should be heading right to the top of the equestrian world.

The 12 year old, from Broadwindsor has qualified for International Horse Show in Olympia on her 12.2 show jumping pony Time To Party.

It's like a dream come true for the horse-mad youngster who already has her sights firmly on the Olympics.

Luli and the 15-year-old Party will take part with 13 others in The Mistletoe Stakes at the December show.

According to mum Jemma - whose own contribution to her daughter's success is not inconsiderable - Luli is as determined as she is talented.

Mum catches and loads Party every lunchtime, takes Luli from her school Perrott Hill in Crewkerne and drives her to Chard Equestrian Centre to train.

Jemma said: "Luli's headmaster when he announced her qualification in assembly said' 'fail to prepare, prepare to fail' and she came home and said 'mummy I have to train more'.

"So this is what we do now every day."

Mum is herself a rider and the family has always had ponies, starting on Shetlands.

Jemma said: "We had two Shetlands one was called Dinky and one Stumpy and they used to gallop her through the field to the back door step where they'd drop her.

"It did teach her balance!"

Beaminster showjumper Jabeena Maslin, coach to the Olympic modern pentathlon team, is Luli's greatest fan, says Jemma.

Jemma said: "Jabeena recognised her talent and said 'this kid is quite good'."

The endorsement was the spur Jemma needed to find a better jumping pony than a Shetland.

They found one and Luli was the fastest by two seconds at the Pony of the Year Show.

That first pony reached it's limits at a metre so another upgrade was needed - qualification for Hickstead involves three rigorous rounds where the jumps can reach 1.3 metres - that's higher than four foot, which is a tall order for 12.2hh pony.

Jemma said: "We had to go and find what they call a top track pony. We stabled next to Party at the Nationals and we found out she was sale and we bought her then and there it was very impulsive.

"We have one of the safest, she's amazing very kind and very gentle, very sensitive, she just does it but we do train quite a lot, after all she's a top athlete."

There'll be a 8,000-strong audience watching the pair but that's not something that bothers Luli.

Mum said: "She is not nervous - she is just very excited, she is very level headed and calm she never gets fazed.

We take our children every year as a Christmas present to Olympia you never actually think you'll get there and compete and Luli hasn't stopped smiling and hopping around since she qualified."