The ride of her life

A BRITISH teenager took to her horse to show the local men how the job should be done.

Harriet Simmons, 17, jumped on a friend’s mount to compete in the so-called ‘cintas de caballos’ competition during the feria in Yunquera.

The feat involved 30 riders – all men, apart from her – trying to retrieve coloured ribbons by spearing a two cm diameter plastic ring with a small stick.

The accomplished rider and polo player, who recently finished her GCSEs at Malvern College in the UK, left locals scratching their heads as she came fifth in the event.

“I thought there was no way I was going to get a ribbon with all the male competitors really struggling,” she explained.

“When I got one people clapped like crazy.”

Her family friend Kenton Smith, who lives in the village, added: “It really shocked the locals, as it was apparently the first time they had seen a female competitor.

He added: “One rider was actually heard saying if Harriet gained a ribbon he was giving up. After she did he was dumbfounded.”