New Zealand showjumper Katie McVean has returned home with her 2012 Olympic hopes all but gone after ambitions of trialling a Dutch horse came to nothing.

McVean last month sold her probable London Olympics ride, Delphi, to Saudi Arabian interests for an undisclosed multimillion-dollar sum.

However, a subsequent offer to ride Wavantos VD Renvillehoeve for a Dutch owner saw her return to Europe to trial the horse, with the aim of qualifying New Zealand for the Olympics at Aachen in Germany early next month.

But on her arrival in Holland, the horse had not yet arrived at the Dutch stable and 25-year-old McVean felt time was simply running out.

"It was going to be tight going into Aachen as it was, but with the horse not yet there it just seemed to be getting tougher and tougher," McVean said. "This isn't how I wanted to be preparing for such an important event."

She will now focus her efforts on a growing stable of exciting young horses at her Mystery Creek base.

Sourced from: http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/other-sports/5168443/Olympic-blow-for-showjumper-Katie-McVean