‘I just took it on’

THE Olympics are widely hailed as being unlike any other championship. The pinnacle of sport, and the coming together of athletes from all walks of life – riders across the disciplines spend their lives dreaming of representing their country on the biggest sporting stage of all. For those select few who do make it, the Olympics is invariably a highlight of their career.

But what about those whose championship career kicks off, not with a European Championship or World Equestrian Games (WEG), but with the big one – an Olympic Games? While some riders collect multiple caps, and even medals, before making it to an Olympics, several top riders’ team debut happened to coincide with an Olympic year.

British dressage rider Spencer Wilton made his team debut at Rio in 2016, riding