"Hi everyone, I'm Anna Edwards and I'm a showjumper from Somerset - welcome to my first blog for Horse & Country.

Unique decision

Two years ago I was just beginning the best year of my career so far. I had been selected for the British team in Nations Cups, I was crowned the winner of the prestigious Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Hickstead with Unique IX, and if I hadn't quite made it to the very top of my sport, I felt I was at least three quarters of the way there. I owned and rode, at that time, one of the best horses in the country. We had results together that made us stand out from the crowd and be known to the public. Then Unique was sold to join Tina Fletcher's string. 

So why did I sell my top horse? Sadly, my head ruled over my heart. Sometimes I wonder why I had to make that tough decision, to sell or not to sell - it's a fortunate position to be in but nevertheless a tough one! Put in the same situation, would I sell again? Who knows, but I do really miss my boy and 5am starts to take naughty young horses to shows can really make me question my decision.

High profile sales

There was a flurry of horse sales at the start of the year, with a number of top British horses sold abroad. These sort of decisions - like selling Unique - are commonplace in showjumping, but they do make me wonder what the sport is all about, success or money. In an ideal world it would obviously be both, but in the real world, I chose to take the money.

The next star

Now I am back to getting up early, going to shows, producing young horses and trying to make the next superstar, rather than buying one. I have proven that I can ride at top level, so now I just need to believe in the wonderful young horses I have chosen to work with and train. I have a yard full of promising young horses which I believe have the correct attributes to be superstars. Sometimes it is easy to stop believing, but I am a great believer in staying positive - once a champion, always a champion!

Meet Diaghilev

My top horse, Diaghilev, has had a good winter break and is now fit and ready to go. We had a great year last year together, and with him now nine years old I am hoping that this year is going to be my best year yet. I'm lucky in that I have an amazing support team, including my wonderful parents who I could do none of it without, my understanding boyfriend, great owners, family and friends, plus a fantastic team of young up and coming horses. I just hope I can make it back to the heights of my sport where I once was.

I hope you enjoyed my first blog, and to keep up to date with how I am getting on, please follow me on Facebook and Twitter."

Anna