THE London Paralympics might be just round the corner but para-equestrian star Anne Dunham admits she has looked even further ahead than that, writes NED PAYNE.

Dunham is not yet assured of selection for the 2012 Games but has a strong chance of representing her nation, which would be her fifth Paralympics having appeared at Atlanta, Sydney, Athens and Beijing and picked up five golds, a silver and a bronze in the process.

And the experienced Broad Hinton competitor admits she has not ruled out the 2016 Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, by which time she will be 67 years old.

“It’s a possibility,” said Dunham, when questioned as to whether she had considered the 2016 Games.

“It’s not a definite decision but it would be really good.

“I’ll keep going as long as I’m at the top and when I’m not I will stop. When I start to slip that’s when I will go.”

The options of Dunham have somewhat enlarged of late due to the emergence of Lucas Normark, whose partnership with his rider has blossomed of late.

At last week’s Nirvana Spa Para Dressage Winter Championships at Hartpury Arena in Gloucestershire, Dunham triumphed on long-standing favourite Teddy Edwards, but also finished fourth on Lucas.

The fourth-placed finish was made all the more pleasing by the fact that the 10-year-old spotted stallion had only just returned to action, following an operation to remove a benign form of skin cancer from two areas on his underside.

And Dunham believes that should she qualify for Rio in four years’ time, Lucas would be the likely choice due to Teddy’s advancing years.

“We’ll see how we go and I have the other horse (Lucas) now,” she said.

“Teddy is 15 now so he’s probably too old to do the next Paralympics, and Rio is a long way to travel for a horse of that age.

“Lucas is only 10 so he’s a possibility. He’s a very good prospect and is even running Teddy tight for London.

“But Teddy is more established while me and Lucas are still a very young partnership.”

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