Norfolk's Nicki Thorne is a woman on a mission, hell-bent on success as she prepares to saddle up once again and battle it out for top step on the podium at the UK Endurance Masters at Euston Park next month.

Great Britain’s Thorne, who was a former world No.1 in 2014, will be put through her paces at one of the premier endurance events of the year, with more than 200 competitors from across the globe set to compete as part of the Euston Park August Festival.

And as one of the most established endurance competitors, she cannot wait to get back in the saddle for the competition.

“Euston Park has done so much work into putting on an incredible series both last year and this year.

"It’s dear to my heart because I am from Norfolk and it’s my home turf,” said Thorne, who grew up in Wicklewood, near Wymondham, where her parents ran the village stores.

“There are some fabulous opportunities to ride in this area and Euston Park have provided us with a venue which is set up for endurance. To have the opportunity to take our horses to the event is a very good opportunity.

“We have a competition that attracts people from across the world to the UK. It makes the UK the pinnacle of endurance and really get many more members involved.

“We have a venue that has put on so much for us and a superb course and it’s a great opportunity and I cannot wait to go out there and compete.”

Endurance horse riding is a mixed gender sport and competitions are split into three distances, 80km, 120km and 160km.

The competition will take place throughout one day and the winning horse is the first one to cross the finishing line while stopping periodically to pass strict veterinary checks which deem the horse fit to continue.

Once the horse crosses the line, its heart rate must be within a certain level and must pass a series of final health checks otherwise the competitor is eliminated.

Thorne begun riding competitively in 2013, finishing second in her first ever 100-mile and just a year later was the top endurance rider in the world.

And the Norfolk born businesswoman, who helps run shipping company Kestrel with her husband Andy, is proud of her achievement and hopes it can send a message to all women competing in the sport.

She said: “The sport is unique because men and women can compete on an even playing field together and the women are equally as successful as the men so that’s great competition for us.

“It’s a huge testament to the team that I managed to rank first and I hope it can send out a message to women out there who want to compete in this sport that they can go out there and achieve these things.”

Horses are strictly checked before even being allowed to compete in an endurance race and during the competition, a crew of five will make sure the horse is in good health to continue.

Thorne has stressed the significance of the horse’s wellbeing and her team help look after the horses at her home in Shipdham.

“The welfare of the horse is paramount in everything we do, during the race itself we have the vets on site throughout the entire duration of the ride and each of the stages the horse is checked continuously by the vets to make sure the horse is in a good condition to carry on,” she added.

“We couldn’t do this sport without our crew who are working together and are calm around the horse and have that knowledge which is invaluable.”

The Euston Park August Festival takes place from 18-20 August 2017 and is set to be the most significant endurance event in the UK, with the biggest prize money in Europe and a variety of entertainment on offer for competitors and spectators. For more information visit www.eustonparkendurance.co.uk