O’Hare, 15, and her showjumper Navahome Bono, claimed victory in the under 17 A grade division at the prestigious event at Morisset, south of Newcastle. 

There were close to 200 horses at the championships with competitors travelling from around the state.

O’Hare and her 10-year-old, Bono, contested four rounds over two days, which ended in a heart-stopping finish when they bumped the final jump.

“If I did knock the rail off, I wouldn’t have won the championship,” O’Hare said. 

“I won three rounds and got second in another. If I’d knocked that rail off, I would’ve finished second.”

O’Hare, who also competed at the Royal Easter Show in Sydney back in April, said she went to the Morisset event with hopes but not necessarily expectations of victory.

“Not really, I knew it was possible but it comes down to whatever happens on the day,” she said.

“The environment was a bit different, there was a speaker going off the whole time and he (Bono) was a bit tense. But he was very energetic on the second day, which was good.”

The Mater Dei Catholic College student said she felt more confident after a successful first day, although that made the second a little more nerve-wracking with the title on the line. 

O’Hare is almost certain now to be picked for nationals which will he held late next year.