Miranda Nelson, 10, and her horse Diana the Huntress will compete in the upcoming Georgia Games. CHRIS THELEN/STAFF

Nelson and her dazzling 19-year-old mare, Diana The Huntress, will be at Pine Top Farm in Thomson challenging for the equestrian championship in the junior division July 20.

"I'm very excited," said the rising sixth-grader at Briarwood Academy. "I've got my heart set on a gold medal."

Nelson has more than just confidence going for her. She is determined, naturally gifted, poised and mature beyond her years. She also has one of the top trainers in the area, Cynthia Smith, and two supportive parents, Douglas and Claire Nelson.

In addition, Diana is the ideal horse for Nelson to compete on.

"This horse has helped her learn the correct way to use her body," Smith said. "When she does something correctly, the horse will respond in a correct way. She's learning how to train horses as well."

Nelson is familiar with the Georgia Games venue, as she trains twice a week at Pine Top with Smith, who said the farm is a breeding ground for equestrian champions.

"Pine Top is a facility that's known all over the country," Smith said. "If you want to make the U.S. Equestrian team, you usually have to compete at this farm. The footing out here is some of the best in the country."

Pine Top, which was once a cotton farm, was used as a pre-Olympic training center in 1996.

The Georgia Games equestrian competition consists of three events: dressage, stadium jumping and cross country.

MIRANDA NELSON Age: 10 Hometown: Washington, Ga. Sport: Equestrian School: Briarwood Academy, sixth grade Top honors: First-place finishes at the Pine Top Farm Fall and Winter Horse Trials, the U.S. Eventing Association's Horse Trials and the South Carolina Dressage Combined Training Horse Trials Georgia Games Equestrian schedule: Competition will be July 20, starting at 8 a.m. at Pine Top Farm in Thomson.

In dressage, the horse must follow specific motions, similar to the mandatory figures an ice skater carves out. Stadium jumping requires the horse to jump over a set of loose, painted poles that serve as hurdles. In the cross country event, the rider leads the horse down a path that resembles an obstacle course, where the horse must pass over a series of fixed objects.

Nelson began riding horses at the Augusta Riding Center when she was about 5 years old.

The Nelsons moved to Washington, Ga., from Augusta three years ago, primarily to give Miranda room to ride.

She began competing in area events, and in the past year, Nelson has won several competitions. She took top honors at the Fall Horse Trials (beginner novice division) in October, the Winter Horse Trials (beginner novice) in January and the U.S. Eventing Association Horse Trials (junior/senior novice) in April, all at Pine Top.

Nelson also finished first in Aiken at the South Carolina Dressage Combined Training Horse Trials on June 22.

"I saw that it would be a challenge," Nelson said of riding. "You got to be with animals a lot, and I love animals. I knew right away that I wanted to do this. I knew this was the thing for me."

She has had the opportunity to work with former British Olympian equestrian Ian Stark on several occasions. Stark comes to Pine Top two or three times a year to help train younger athletes.

"Because she's so serious about her riding, she took riding lessons from Ian Stark, and did wonderfully," Smith said. "He really took her out of her comfort zone at the level that she was at. She was jumping fences that were three levels beyond what she's competing at now."

Reach Lane Kramer at (706) 823-3425.