LYME Regis horse breeder Kirsty Wis combe has earned a top accolade for her colt foal, Yawl Hill Big Yin.

The youngster took top honours at the Baileys Horse Feeds/British Equestrian Federation (BEF) Futurity evaluations held in Cornwall.

The evaluation aims to identify British bred young potential sport horses and ponies destined for careers in dressage, eventing, show-jumping or endurance, and may even find the Olympic champions of the future.

Yawl Hill Big Yin took the highest mark of the day for a potential endurance horse with a score of 8.39 and a first premium which indicates that he has the potential and outlook to perform at national level.

The part-bred Anglo-Arab Yawl Hill Big Yin was bred by 42-year-old Kirsty and he is the third generation of horse she has bred herself.

The colt has an impressive pedigree for endurance riding as both his parents are 100 mile horses.

His granddam Connie, who is 17, has competitively ridden more than 4,000km during her career and Kirsty hopes to start competing with her again next year.

His sire Yawl Hillbilly, who is also owned by Kirsty, is now being aimed at the 2013 European Championships.

Kirsty said: “Big Yin is a gorgeous horse.

“He really is fantastic and it’s lovely to have a grey after so many bays.

“I will produce him myself and aim him at international level competition.”

Kirsty went to the futurity last year with Yawl Hill Maverick, who earned a higher first premium with a score of 8.82.

He is the uncle to Big Yin and has recently been started under saddle.

Kirsty, who has been riding since she was a child, said there was nothing like the satisfaction of competing on a horse you have bred, started and trained yourself.

She said: “I just bred for me to compete and there is nothing more satisfying than competing on one you have bred yourself and I love the challenge of endurance riding.”

Kirsty, who works full time with adults with learning difficulties, competes as a hobby but aims to win a world or European championship medal.