Shires coverstar is 21-year-old Mary Liversidge

Trainee hairdresser Mary Liversidge has won the Shires Equestrian cover star 2010 competition and will feature on the front of the next catalogue.

Mary, 21, from Deal, Kent, beat hundreds of competitors to win the coveted prize.

Finalists took part in an assessment day at the Talland School of Equitation in Gloucestershire, where they battled torrential rain to take part in jumping lessons and dressage displays.

Mary said: “The whole process of entering and being announced as the 2010 cover star has been a once-in-a-life time experience, which I will never forget.

“I initially entered the competition thinking that it would be fun have a go at but never thought that I would be selected for the final 10 so when I got the phone call I was very excited.

“I had the opportunity to ride five of the lovely horses from Talland, one in particular that I fell in love with, which was the horse I was lucky enough to ride for the cover shoot.”

A spokesman for Shires Equestrian said: “All the finalists did incredibly well and coped with the torrential rain on the assessment day and the tail end of a hurricane on the photo shoot admirably and with good humour- but the public voted and crowned Mary the winner of this year’s competition.”

To see some pictures from the day or to find out more about Shires, see www.shiresequestrian.com, email sales@shiresequestrian.com or call 01568 613600.

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