PARA dressage rider Alison Moore has her sights set on the 2012 Olympics after being selected to compete in the national championships to be held in Coventry on May 15.

Moore’s achievement is even more remarkable considering she only began riding again last year after a series of accidents left her with head and neck injuries.

But the Orelton rider has come back to qualify for the national championships, and hopes that she can make the British squad in the near future and compete on an international stage.

She said: “The championships started in early March and finished at the end of April, so you need to do as many of the events as you can. I did four competitions and won them all.

“There are championships across the whole country, and then they take the best scores because we are graded according to our disability. The best overall scores go on to the national championships.

“My main aim is to get into the 2012 Olympics in London, so what I’m doing now is to try and get myself noticed.

“There’s not much time left to try and get in the British team, so to have any chance I’m on a mission to do as well as I can. Hopefully the national championships is a stepping stone for me.”

Alison was a keen rider before suffering injuries falling from horses, and still suffers balance problems. Her passion for riding has been rejuvenated though by taking up para dressage where she competes in the 1B category for the most severe disabled competitors.

Alison added: “I had been riding for a long time and I had several accidents during 2003 to 2004 and I thought I couldn’t possibly ride again because I had several head and neck injuries.

“I realised I wouldn’t improve and the doctor said so too, so I decided to give para dressage a go.

“My friend had a horse and I started again at Hereford Riding Academy, and it has gone really well.”