To Britain’s new show jumping chef d’équipe Di Lampard, challenges are but stepping stones on the road to success. Her latest is to lead her country’s team to defend their Olympic title in Rio de Janeiro and, as always, she appears well up to the task.

Becoming an equestrian competitor at all was itself a challenge for Di when, as a six-year-old, she had to make her case to go riding.

“My parents were not from a horse background and as a pony-mad youngster, I had to stake my claim for my first pony.”

This led on to a local riding school and competing on ponies for the Dilkes family. It was during the lineup of hunter pony class at a show in Linconshire that she first got the urge to go show jumping.

“Sitting in the sunshine, trying to look pretty and being a bit bored, I suddenly heard a great deal of excitement in another ring and soon as the class was over, I made my way there to find out what it was all about. People were lined five deep watching the likes of Lionel Dunning and Tim Grubb compete in a jump-off and I decided then and there that I wanted to have a go at that.”

It took time and effort but by her early 20s, she was making a name for herself on a good winner called Bristo. However, it was not until the magnificent Irish-bred Abbervail Dream came her way in the early 1990s that her career really took off. The Marjorie Quarton-bred gelding had plenty of blood and talent. He was by the good thoroughbred Chairlift and had Irish Draught in his background as well. He had won in loose jumping for Dr Noel Cawley, who bought him as a foal and then sold him to Robert and Dina Verburgt.

He came to Di as a four-year-old and there a wonderful story begins.

“He was so talented and he gave me 10 years or two lifetimes of jumping. Even when he was only seven, we won our first Queen’s Cup at Hickstead.”

The following year, in 1995, they came second to Marion Hughes on Flo Jo but were back to win it again in 1998.

Meantime, Di had overcome the challenge of making it on to the then very strong British team under Ronnie Massarella.

“The challenge had nothing to do with me being a woman. You have to be twice as good to make it on to a team like that.”

She partnered Abbervail in 40 Nations Cups and when asked which was the most memorable, without hesitation she names the win at Dublin along with Nick Skelton, John Whitaker and Robert Smith in 1996.

“The atmosphere for the Aga Khan Trophy is absolutely brilliant.”

Also at Dublin, she jumped the wall at 7ft 2in with Trevor Banks’ Irish-bred Extra when the new record was made at 7ft 4in.

She and Abervail were on two European and two WEG squads and the best of these for her was Rome 1998 when she jumped a clear with just one time fault to help Britain to a bronze medal.

TEAM PLAYER

Even prior to her retirement in 2005, Di had begun her managing career to three British Junior European Championship teams in 1996, 1997 and 1998. As second-in-command, her senior managing career began in 2010.

She progressed to being a selector and consultant, until finally last March she was given the role of senior team manager for the next five years, until Tokyo in 2020.

“I had never envisioned the No 1 post. I quite enjoyed being No 2, which allowed me to concentrate on the training centre that my husband Deitmar Ackermann and I run at Spring Farm in Rutland. It was a very big step but with Deitmar’s backing and a great deal of support from owners, riders and other chefs d’équipe, I took it on.”

Nor was the road an easy one.

“There were four tough interviews. There were presentations to be made but then finally last March I got the word.”

Asked if she found it difficult to leave someone off the team, she recalls a time in 2000 when she was shortlisted but did not make the cut for the Sydney Olympics.

“I felt very disappointed then. But now I know that as a rider you tend to see the world through rose-tinted glasses and fail to grasp the bigger picture. Because of my own experience, I can help riders deal with the sense of rejection.”

Her first major challenge in her new role was Olympic qualification.

“We took a no-compromise approach to the Europeans at Aachen. It was not easy since we lost some horses early in the season. But then the likes of young Jessica Mendoza earned their places and it worked out.”

Britain did indeed gain qualification and went on to joint second in the Furusiyya final at Barcelona.

Asked how she deals with the problem of asking riders to forgo big prizes for the sake of the team, she says: “Because we need our strongest team, I am not afraid to ask but the ultimate decision rests with the owners as to which direction they will go.”

And looking forward to the challenge of Rio, she declares: “I hope we will all be together next season and will definitely defend our medal.”