Olympics 2008

Whether you're an equestrian fan or not, you've got to feel for poor old Zara Phillips who had her Olympic dreams cruelly taken away again last week.

It's got to be hard if you are forced to pull out through injury to yourself, but when it's something you have absolutely no control over, as in Phillips' case with an injury to her horse, it's got to be doubly heart-breaking.

Her horse, Toytown, also broke down before the Athens Games depriving her the chance of emulating her father, Captain Mark Phillips.

One man who had slightly better luck during his riding career was Dr Reiner Klimke (pictured above).

The German excelled in the dressage, winning six gold medals and two bronzes over a 24-year period, starting at the 1964 Tokyo Games.

Five of his golds came in the team event, the last of which he picked up at the age of 52 at the 1988 Seoul Games.

Klimke won his only individual dressage gold on Alherich at the 1984 Los Angeles Games.

His tally of eight Olympic equestrian medals has yet to be matched and he is rightly revered as one of the greats of the sport.

Coming back to the Beijing Games though, how much of a blow is losing Phillips to Team GB?