KITTY King has hailed her best year in the saddle after the Blenheim Horse Trials kept her firmly on track for the Olympic Games next year.

The Lower Stanton St Quintin-based rider was back in action after her fourth-place finish at the European Championships in Blair, and followed it up with a third-place finish in the CCI*** on Ceylor.

A clear show jumping round lifted her up two places on the final day and the 31-year-old says that she is still on course to represent Great Britain in Rio next year.

“The last week has all been a bit of a whirlwind to be honest,” King told the Gazette.

“We drove back overnight from Blair and got home on Monday morning, had a dressage lesson, sorted the lorry out and then came here on Tuesday.

“I couldn’t have asked for more from either of the horses; they have both just performed brilliantly.

“It has been my best year for a long time and it has been a dream season, really.

“I am just lucky to have some lovely young horses at the moment and they are just really coming to the fore now.

“He is a young horse, it is a long time to Rio so anything can happen, but if we can keep them both sound and have a strong spring then I hope to have both the horses in contention and in the selectors’ minds.

“That is my hope, but with horses things don’t always go to plan, so we will see what happens next year.”

After picking up no time faults in the cross-country stage on Saturday, King was concerned that might have taken its toll come the final day.

However, Ceylor, who King had won Tattersalls CCI*** on, looked in control around the show jumping arena to lift the pair up to third.

“This horse has come here and it was a really big test for him,” added King.

“The cross-country wasn’t the most technical of tracks that he has done, but it was a real stamina test for him.

“He is only eight, he is not a thoroughbred, and it was very hilly.

“I thought he might find it a bit of an effort and a bit too much for him at a young age, but he really got stuck in.

“He got a bit leg-weary, but he recovered very quickly and has jumped brilliantly today and I couldn’t be happier with how he coped with that side of things.”