In Loretta Tait's eyes, a horse called Mouse is her superstar.
The 6-year-old mare, who escaped a lightning strike in her paddock that killed her sister, has risen to the top in the show ring.
After winning the supreme saddle hunter of the year title at the prestigious Horse of the Year show in Hastings in March, Mouse qualified for the New Zealand showing team to compete in Australia in December.
Not a bad effort for a horse deemed ''a bit of an ugly duckling'' as a youngster. But when it comes to determination, it is hard to look past Mouse's proud owner, who lives in the rural North Otago community of Duntroon, where she and her husband Hamish run a transport business.
In 2008 and six months after her wedding, Mrs Tait (34) was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a progressive disease of the brain and central nervous system.
While she acknowledged it was ''pretty hard'' at the time, she had taken a positive and matter-of-fact approach to life - and got on with it.
''There's always someone worse off than you are,'' she said.
Now the mother of two young children, Connor (3) and Alaina, she took each day as it came and was ''speechless'' about the support she received.
She has relapsing remitting MS, for which she gives herself an intramuscular injection each week to try to keep her symptoms at bay.
Mouse, who competes under the show name Southwell Rendevouz, is ridden in competitions by Kirwee horsewoman Rebecca Rowlands, who is married to Mrs Tait's cousin. Mrs Tait concedes Mrs Rowlands draws a better performance from the horse.
''Mouse wouldn't have got to where she is today without Rebecca.''
The two women work as a team and, during the show season, Mrs Tait packs up her children and drives three hours to Kirwee, her home town, and where Mouse is based, to help prepare the horse.
Mouse's success is a dream come true for Mrs Tait.
''You sort of dream of breeding a horse that'll go out and win things.''
But breeding one to be top in New Zealand was ''quite something else''.
Sired by the Holsteiner stallion Ramirez, Mouse's dam was Mrs Tait's former show mare Expose.
''When she [Mouse] was born, I said to my dad: `... I don't think this one is going to be any good'.''
Mouse's full sister was hit by lightning and died in the paddock in 2008 during a ''horrific storm''.
Mouse ended up in the fence, tearing her leg.
''In my eyes, she's my superstar,'' Mrs Tait said.
Competing at Werribee, near Melbourne, against the other Australian national qualifiers, was a ''once-in-a-lifetime opportunity''.
Fundraising is planned in North Otago and Canterbury to help meet the $20,000 cost of flying Mouse across the Tasman.
Events include a classic car poker run on October 4, a horse show and twilight shopping night and market in Kirwee.
