Skip to main contentSkip to footer

Olympic royal rider Zara: 'I'm excited, honoured and nervous'

Share this:

Olympic royal rider Zara Philips is starting to feel the heat of the impending 2012 games. The 31-year-old will fly the flag for Britain in eventing – an equestrian extravaganza that combines show jumping, dressage and cross country.

null

"I'm very excited, honoured, but also nervous," she said during a press conference on Tuesday. "A horse is a pretty unpredictable animal and it is difficult when you are trying to get it and yourself into prime fitness. You are going that extra mile; you do the extra training and, unfortunately, things can happen." Despite the jitters, the thoroughbred sportswoman can draw inspiration from close quarters. Her mother Princess Anne was part of the of the British Olympic team at the 1976 Games, and her father Mark Phillips won team gold in Munich in 1972 and then silver in Seoul in 1988. Now, the Queen's granddaughter will be hoping her horse High Kingdom can help her emulate that success.