A brother and sister from East Dorset have qualified to compete at the prestigious Horse of the Year show.

Jade, aged 17, and 13-year-old Josh Whitelock, from the Wimborne area, took the first two places in the pony section of the South Essex Insurance Brokers Search for a Star Competition held at Medstead Grange Equestrian Centre in Hampshire recently.

It means the pair can compete to be supreme champion at the final, to be held at the Wembley show in October.

Mother Nicole Whitelock said: "Jade and Josh have never qualified before but they have ridden for years and this time they both got through."

A spokesman for the Search for a Star competition said: "It must be a record. I don't think we have ever had a brother and sister go through to our final, let alone in the same class."

The competition, now in its sixth year, is designed to give amateur owners and riders the chance to compete at the Horse of the Year Show.