Dressage star Maria Eilberg helps Paralympic hopefuls

Eilberg helped Team GB to European dressage silver in Windsor last summer

Two of Birmingham's up-and-coming Paralympic dressage riders have been receiving tips from European silver medallist Maria Eilberg.

The 26-year-old from Redditch joined them for a session at the regional training centre at Albrighton.

She hopes to have helped unearth Paralympic competitors for London 2012 or for Rio de Janeiro four years later.

"That would be fantastic," Eilberg told BBC WM. "All you can do is do your best and commit yourself to your training."

One of the competitors benefitting from her experience was Ruth MacCarthy, 25, from Great Barr in Birmingham.

My horse flipped over and crushed me - but I would not give up horse-riding for anything

Ruth MacCarthy

She has returned to competition after suffering extremely serious injuries as an able-bodied rider.

"I did Pony Club up until a high age, then unfortunately I had a rotational fall," she recalled. "My horse flipped over on top of me and landed on my pelvis and my back and crushed me.

"That left me registered disabled, but I would not give up the horse riding for anything.

"It was very difficult, especially as I was getting back on a fit thoroughbred that hadn't been ridden for six months. Just the emotion and the stress - it was very hard just that first time getting on, but I knew I wanted to do it."

While MacCarthy is geared up to try and put herself in contention to represent Team GB at home in 2012, the following Paralympics in Rio are a more realistic target for 14-year old Ashleigh Jones.

The King's Norton Girls' School pupil has been riding for nine years, after initially taking to the saddle to try and ease the discomfort of her cerebral palsy.

"I started riding at the age of five just to loosen my muscles off," Jones told BBC WM.

"It just started to progress into something bigger and I always liked the look of the way the horses moved on the TV, watching the Olympics and Paralympics."

Jones has a new horse to ride competitively, named Desert Red Storm, and he has increased her confidence in her ability.

"He's taught me so much, I've really progressed as I've been riding him and I've just learned so much," she said.

MacCarthy and Jones both train under West Midlands regional coach David Hamer at the Kingswood Equestrian Centre, and will hope to catch the eye this summer if their Paralympic dreams are to become reality.