A "horse-mad" teenager from Wisbech has been selected to represent Great Britain in the U16 horseball team - but he needs £1,000 of sponsorship money to get him to Italy so he can compete.

Ryan Hagger has been horse-mad since the age of six but only discovered horseball last October.

However, the 14-year-old has quickly proved to be a force to be reckoned with on his pony Callie, having recently won the title of most improved player in the recent horseball championships.

Ryan is now looking for local businesses to sponsor him as each player has to raise £3,000 ahead of the competition, which takes place at Verona this August. Currently, he has around £2000.

Ryan's mum, Janine Hagger, said: "Ryan's dad has just has a liver transplant and I am a self-employed riding instructor so finances are rather tight at the moment.

"But we really want to support Ryan to fulfill his dream of representing GB."

Anyone who would like to sponsor Ryan should contact Janine by calling 07854 872065 or email Jump2flo@aol.com