However, it was in Hong Kong, where the 39-year-old mother-of-two made her first real strides in the competitive showjumping arena. She also happens to be Hong Kong's top showjumper, winning two of Hong Kong's most important competitions this year, as well as a host of international placings. Recently, she won the Hong Kong leg of the FEI World Jumping Challenge at Beas River, Sheung Shui.

Mary-Jane might have been her first love, but Lee now has a new friend in 13-year-old thoroughbred You Bet, who retired from racing due to tendon problems in 1994 after winning three out of three races as a four-year-old.

Lee rode You Bet at the recent Hong Kong Championship and both rider and horse are making a name for themselves as jumping stars.

'You Bet is an amazing horse,' said Lee. 'This win has given me a lot of confidence to go on and try some bigger challenges, like the World Cup, and possibly the Asian Games.'

Lee and You Bet also hold Hong Kong's only showjumping record - for the highest jump, which they set in March over a 1.7-metre wall.

The previous record of 1.6 metres, held by Billy Tam, had stood unchallenged for 10 years. Thanks to the efforts of You Bet, who previously belonged to French maestro Patrick Biancone, Lee can lay claim to the jump record as well.

'You Bet was a very good race horse but he had a very short career,' explained Lee, who is married to a local banker and is mother to Jonathan, six, and Jacqueline, two.

While the untrained athlete would cringe at the thought of jumping over high walls, jumping has come naturally for both Lee and You Bet.

Fear never crossed the minds of rider or animal when the pair went for the Hong Kong record. Like a high-precision watch, the jump required accuracy, timing, and most of all, athleticism. They have it all.

'You might feel fear going towards a 1.7-metre fence. You have to learn how to control your thoughts and mind and really just focus. My focus is so strong on what I am doing and there is no room for fear. You Bet is an extra special horse,' said Lee. 'He tries so hard when you ask him to do something. He gives it 150 per cent. On that day [the day of record] when we jumped 1.7 metres, I felt he would have jumped higher. If we had put it up to 1.80, he would have jumped it. He was just that confident.''

'Because you don't always get to the perfect take-off spot all the time at the jump, showjumping horses have to learn how to lengthen and shorten their stride. That's the fundamental thing about showjumping,' said Lee.

'The challenge is really getting to the fence to make jumping easy for the horse. Their education involves not just learning how much power they need to get over a certain fence, but also how to handle their body and how to turn. They have to be flexible, like any athlete.'

You Bet's natural athleticism is something that still amazes Lee.

'I can't actually remember falling off You Bet. I can remember falling off the other horses. He's so small. He's maybe 151/2 hands [tall] (1.5 metres) and he was the smallest horse in the competition [over the wall]. He's got a big heart and a powerful rear-end too,' she smiled.

A place in the prestigious World Cup contested by some of the best riders in the world could become a reality if things go well.

'My immediate goal is to take a horse or maybe two to the World Cup. It's happening every year in Malaysia. You Bet is really hot now,' she said. The pair would compete against the region's top riders. Winners of that go to the World Cup finals, which are normally held in Europe.

'I really hope to do that this coming year,' she said of her planned venture. 'If I keep training [she trains three hours a day], we could do it. We have excellent training and excellent support on the veterinary side here.'

Even if Lee and You Bet don't make it as far as the World Cup finals, they can still savour their recent victory in the World Challenge at Beas River.

The Challenge is one of Hong Kong's most important competitions. Riders' scores are compared with those around the world, and the top two from each region will be invited to compete in Germany. Competitors must jump four different courses of around 16 obstacles each, two of which are judged on speed.

The first day proved an exciting start, with most of the riders going clear in the first round.

Lee had one rail down, giving her four penalty points, but over the second course put in a fast and faultless round, which put pressure on the other riders. She ended the day second, behind JC Leung, who was clear in both rounds.

The second day saw more rails fall. Lee, Jennifer Chang and Victor Chung jumped two clear rounds. And that foretold the final results: Lee won the competition with just four penalties, Chang was second with eight, and Chung was third, with eight penalties and a slower time.

Although no rider ranking system exists in Hong Kong, Lee has placed in the top three in either the team or individual event at every international showjumping competition that the Hong Kong team have participated in this year.

Lee is also a member of the Hong Kong showjumping team who won the North Asia League this year. Members of the League include Japan, China, Korea, and Taiwan.

'Jennifer has been going from strength to strength this year. She has been a great asset to the team,' said Tang Pui-tat, secretary-general of the Hong Kong Equestrian Federation.

When she is not competing with You Bet, Lee is riding other horses.

'We ride the host country's horses, which are a real test of a rider's skill because we get just 20 minutes and six jumps to get to know the horse before we have to go into the ring and compete. Horses are grouped into teams, normally an experienced one, an okay one, and a difficult or inexperienced one.

'We draw the team of horses and then allocate them among ourselves,' explained Lee, who helped Hong Kong to gold in an international event in Taipei last month.

Lee is adamant that Hong Kong could host the equestrian events at the 2008 Olympics. Hong Kong is trying to coax Beijing into allowing the city to host at least one Olympic event that year.

'It makes a lot of sense to have the equestrian events in Hong Kong. There are several key issues. One is protocol and the ability of horses to come and go. Hong Kong is very strict about horses coming in being tested, and we have several precedents where horses have come in just for special events, like the Cadre Noir.

'Also, with the Jockey Club, and racing being so popular here, it's a natural conclusion for Hong Kong to host an event that features horses. Horses play a great part in making Hong Kong what it is,' said Lee.