GREAT TO BE BACK - TOWNEND
Oliver Townend admits "it is a great feeling to be back" as he prepares for his Great Britain return at next month's World Equestrian Games.
The prodigiously-talented Yorkshireman has not ridden for his country since winning European eventing team gold at Fontainebleau five years ago alongside William Fox-Pitt, Tina Cook and Nicola Wilson.
It completed a remarkable 2009 season for Townend, who also captured the prestigious Badminton and Burghley four-star titles on different horses and rose to number two in the world rankings.
The subsequent period has been about consolidation and building an impressive string of horses at his Shropshire base, but after missing out on London 2012, the last two Europeans and 2010 world championships, Townend's desire is undiminished.
"It is a great feeling to be back with my old team-mates. There are good memories, but now we are looking forward," he told Press Association Sport.
"It's always in the back of your mind that you want to be on a British squad, but at the same time you have got to be producing those results at top level to even be considered.
"Foremost was getting the good results and getting the form as good as it possibly could be with the horse-power that you've got available, and this spring has been good for that."
Townend finished second at Badminton in May on Armada - a result that many felt was enough for World Games selection - but he followed that up by taking the New Zealand thoroughbred Black Tie II to Germany's top event in Luhmuhlen three weeks ago and securing fourth place.
The 31-year-old will now ride Black Tie on the world stage in Normandy, and he is ready to play a pivotal role for the reigning champions.
"We went to Luhmuhlen for his first four-star event without any real expectations, yet he exceeded anything we could have hoped for him, and more," Townend added.
"I am so pleased for his owner Karyn (Shuter) on his selection as she helps me so much in running my business and keeping everything going for me.
"I took over the ride from her when she was off with an injury in 2010. We won our first competition together, and so she kindly said I should keep on with him.
"He has just gone from strength to strength with every question I ask of him. We honestly never expected him to get this far, but if I do my job, he does his without any questions asked.
"Karyn bought him eight years ago for next to nothing through an advert in New Zealand, so when he won the three-star at Burnham Market this spring we said to ourselves that even if he never does another thing in his life he won't owe us a thing.
"He is such a good mate to us, is lovely to have around the place and is never a moment's bother to anyone. He has a fantastic brain and is just such a cool little horse.
"He has had a great run, and he has developed a lot of self-belief that he possibly didn't quite have before. The more he believed in himself, the more I believed in him, and we have just gone from strength to strength."
Together with his world championship colleagues - Fox-Pitt, Cook, Zara Phillips and Pippa Funnell - Townend knows the competition at Haras du Pin from August 28 to 31 will be tight, intense and potentially nerve-shredding.
Reigning Olympic champions Germany will start as favourites, but the likes of Britain, New Zealand, Australia and Sweden are also firmly in the gold medal mix.
"I think it goes in fits and starts, really, as to what is the most influential phase, depending on the competition," Townend said.
"At this year's Badminton, the cross-country was beefed up a lot, but at the same time the level of dressage is getting higher and higher.
"And as Yogi (Great Britain team boss Yogi Breisner) has mentioned a few times, it is getting closer and closer towards the end of the competitions every time. It's getting to the stage that one time penalty can drop you down three or four places.
"I don't think we can do anything to change the other team's performances. All we've got to do is get the best we possibly can out of our team, and hopefully that is good enough."
