Tara, who attends Trinity Catholic School, won the titles at the recent Independent Miniature Horse Registry (IMHR) State Championship titles at Windsor.

At the Windsor show she won, among a number of other titles, the 2011 grand champion miniature performance horse, the 2011 state reserve grand champion youth for the nine to 13 age bracket, the NSW reserve grand champion senior stallion and the grand champion senior mare.

Earlier this year she went to the national show in Tamworth where she won two reserve grand championships.

At Tamworth she competed against adults and on that basis, and her other winning performances throughout the year, she was invited by the president of the Miniature Horse Association of Australia (MHAA) to join a youth team to compete in a Trans Tasman challenge.

Tara’s mother, Lisa West, said that at the time the association invited her to go to New Zealand they did not realise that Tara was only 10 years old.

Once the association found out how old she was they realised she was too young to join the team and could not go.

Tara competes with five miniature horses, which stand up to 34 inches in height.

Several of these horses are bred and trained by former Harden residents Sue and Les Brown.

Sue and Les sponsor several memorial trophies at the Harden Murrumburah Show each year.

Tara’s next major event will be in January when she competes in the MHAA state show. Tara’s new gelding for the coming state show will be given to her by Sue Brown and one of Australia’s top trainers Justin Wetzler.