KITTY King is hoping to draw strength from the disappointment of her first European Championships when she heads to Blair Castle this weekend.

Ten years after the 32-year-old earned her first call up, the Lower Stanton St Quintin-based rider has done enough to convince the selectors of giving her a second chance.

Having claimed a seventh place finish at her first Badminton in 2005 on Five Boys, King earned her call up to represent her country, a dream come true for the then 22-year-old.

However, it didn’t have the fairytale ending as King, who became the first rider to represent Great Britain at all levels, pony, junior, young rider and senior, endured a poor cross country round at Blenheim King is one of a 12-strong squad heading to Scotland for the FEI European Eventing Championships and she is hoping for a better outcome this time out.

“It was just incredibly exciting and it is something I have been working towards and dreaming of for an awful long time,” said King.

“To finally get the phone call to say we were going was really exciting and I can’t wait to get up to Blair.

“It has been a long time. The last time I was on a senior squad was 10 years ago and it has been a long old wait.

“I was quite young and inexperienced (last time) and it wasn’t the championship I had dreamt of when I was a child.

“It was a learning curve and it just made me sit down and re-evaluate my riding and my horses and gave me more determination to train harder and improve myself and also try to produce a tram of horses to come through who have got the talent and capability of getting on these squads.

“It seemed like the end of the world and a disaster at the time but actually long term it probably helped me to be stronger.”

Ten years on and King is a more mature head in the squad and she is hoping that her previous experience will hold her in good stead for attacking a difficult Blair Castle course.

“I learnt an awful lot,” said King, who believes in Persimmon she has a horse that is ideal for the championship.

“It was great going to a championship on home soil and I think having that experience under my belt will help a lot up at Blair.

“Percy is a lovely character and is really easy to look after.

“He has got a split personality, in the sense that when you are on him he is a real feisty person and has got far more character than he does on the ground and he will really dig deep and fight for you.

“On the cross-country at Blair, where it is going to be wet, I know he will never give up on me and will keep trying his hardest, which is a lovely feeling to have,.

“I hope to produce a sub 40 dressage and the ultimate aim is to go double clear and finish on that dressage score.

“It is a goal, and it is also a dream, but we will be doing our best to achieve that.”

Holly Woodhead, who is based in Coate in Swindon is also in the British team with DHI Lupison, while Lambourn-based Laura Collett is also in Scotland with Grand Manoeuvre.