THE relationship between a horse and its rider is like none other in the world of sport.

At London 2012 this summer, pole vaulters will be trusting their pole not to snap, rowers and sailors will be hoping their boats will not sink, and athletes competing in the likes of tennis, badminton and hockey will be putting their faith in their equipment to bring home the gold medal.

In the world of eventing, the horses are as finely-tuned as any athlete competing in the Games, and their condition, mood or performance level can be the difference between a gold medal and last place.

Membury-based Olympic hopeful Laura Collett found this out the hard way when her leading mount Rayef went down with a virus and underperformed at the European Championships at the end of last year, but their relationship is as strong as ever.

Collett started working with Rayef five years ago and the pair have enjoyed a meteoric rise together ever since, leaving the 22-year-old on the verge of the British Olympic team.

If she is successful in claiming a place on the five-strong side she will have to form a close bond with her fellow riders, but that is nothing compared with the relationship she has with 12-year-old Rayef.

“There is a lot of trust between the two of us and that is the main thing I think,” she said. “You have to trust each other, because anyone can see that what we ask the horses to do on dressage and cross-country courses is not really natural to them.

“At some fences the horses cannot see the landing, so they have to trust that we know what we are doing. Galloping at solid fences is scary, but if you trust the horse then it is OK.

“You have to have a partnership with your horse and you really are a team.

“I know him inside out and know all his quirks. The relationship is something that grows naturally and from there you learn to trust them. We have come up through the levels together and that is where it has grown.”

Rayef’s virus cost Marlborough’s Collett any chance of a medal at the Europeans, but the youngster accepts that is part of her sport.

“As a rider you can be at the top of your game physically, but horses get injuries and you have to be prepared for that,” she said. “It can be really frustrating when the horses are injured, but that only makes the good times even better because you are both at your best at the same time.”

“It is hard to deal with but you have to move forwards rather than looking back on what has gone wrong.”

There is trust between Collett and all of the near-dozen horses based at Membury, including the Badminton-bound Noble Bestman, but there is also trust of a different kind.

Collett owns four of the horses, with the rest, including Rayef, being placed with her by owners, who trust her to get the best out of their prize investments.

She added: “The owners are great with us. I couldn’t do it without them and I am grateful for them supporting me because it gives you a real boost to know they believe in you.”