An equestrian is hoping to swap her riding hat for a tiara as she vies for the title of Miss North Yorkshire.
Charlotte Dring, 25, a grazing officer for the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust with a degree in agricultural studies, has made it to the final of the Miss North Yorkshire pageant on 17 April.
Charlotte, who enjoys unaffiliated dressage and riding club activities with her 16.1hh sports horse Bruce, told H&H she has never done any kind of pageant before.
“I’m a bit of a rookie!” she said. “I saw the pageant advertised and at first I thought ‘I wish I could try something like that’ – then I thought ‘why not?’ and pushed myself to sign up.”
“I’m quite competitive – whenever I do a dressage test, I come out of the ring thinking ‘what could I have done better?’ so I’m really starting to get into the competition now.”
Charlotte, who lives on a farm, said she feels proud to be doing the pageant for the “horsey” girls.
“I enjoy being outside but I also like getting dressed up so it’s a nice balance. ‘t,” she said.
Horse & Hound Newsletter
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
“People at my yard and Molton Riding Club have been really supportive and my trainer, Nicky Lyons, has been rallying people to come to the final and support me.”
The pageant contestants can earn points for social appearances and charity work, with total scores being counted at the final, and Charlotte has chosen to host a fashion show raising funds for the pageant’s chosen charity Zoe’s Place, a baby hospice, and a charity of her choice, the MS Society.
“My friends and family are going to take part and we’re holding it at a village hall,” said Charlotte. “The MS Society means a lot because my dad, Alan, has MS. You would never know he has it, he’s such an inspiration.
“I wasn’t sure what my parents would think about me entering the pageant, being farmers, but they’ve got quite into it.”
The ultimate winner of Miss North Yorkshire will go on to compete for the title of Supermodel England.
“I would be really shocked if I won, but you never know,” said Charlotte.
Would you like to read Horse & Hound’s independent journalism without any adverts? Join Horse & Hound Plus today and you can read all articles on HorseandHound.co.uk completely ad-free
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
Since joining H&H in 2018, Becky has covered a broad range of equestrian news including welfare matters, veterinary studies, FEI Tribunal hearings and road safety campaigns. She has also interviewed top riders including Scott Brash, John Whitaker and Ian Stark, to name just a few. Becky’s reporting has taken her to Canada for Spruce Meadows and France for Pau five-star, as well as the Royal Highland and Blair Castle International Horse Trials closer to home. She was also a key part of the remote reporting team for the Tokyo Olympics and the Europeans.
