KITTY King’s Lower Stanton St Quintin home provided the backdrop for Great Britain’s equestrian team announcement as the 33-year-old fulfilled her childhood Olympic dream.

King was in her yard writing a list of jobs for the next day when she took the call from Yogi Breisner, Chef d’Equipe to the British eventing team, telling her that she and her horse, Ceylor LAN, were selected to represent their country in Rio next month.

She had to wait for all her family to be home before breaking the news with a glass of champagne and now it is finally sinking in.

“I am absolutely delighted,” said the Wiltshire rider.

“When I got the phone call from Yogi, I was so excited but equally, it didn’t feel real at all.

“Having everyone here (yesterday), it is starting to sink in a little bit and it is starting to become a little bit more real.

“I was wondering when it was going to kick in and when it was going to stop feeling like a dream and now it is confirmed, it is just fantastic.

“As a child, it is something you dream of but you never think it will happen to you.

“To be able to say that I will be going to Rio to represent my country and really fulfil a childhood dream is out of this world.”

Debutant King joins three-time Olympic medallist William Fox-Pitt, with Chilli Morning, Izzy Taylor on Allercombe Ellie and Gemma Tattersall, who will ride either Chico Bella P or Quicklook V, on GB's eventing team.

The duo of King and Ceylor LAN won at Tattersalls in May 2015 before following that up with a third-place finish at Blenheim Palace later that year, putting them in prime position for selection, and King is pleased that she has been able to keep that form going this term.

“In sport, it is an awful long time,” she added.

“Although he had gone really well last year, this year, when I started the season, I was thinking that I needed to keep that form up and prove that it wasn’t just a fluke and a flash in the pan.

“He has come out this year and although he hasn’t done a three-day event, he has performed really consistently and very well at all of his events.

“It has been in the back of my mind thinking ‘when am I going to get that phone call?’. He is a super-talented horse and he really deserves it as well.”

Meanwhile, showjumper Jessica Mendoza, from Tockenham, near Lyneham, who now bases herself in the Netherlands, has been named as a travelling reserve for Great Britain’s four-strong showjumping team.

“I’m really excited,” said Mendoza.

“It’s going to be a brilliant learning experience and an honour to go to Rio as a member of the Team GB squad.

“I think we have a strong, experienced team and I look forward to supporting them and being on standby if I’m needed.”