JAMAICAN equestrian athlete Samantha Albert is pleased to have qualified for her second Olympic Games after earlier this month making it to the show jumping event at the 2012 London Games set for July.

“It’s very exciting. I’m really pleased. With it in being in England, it will be a real thrill to be able to ride in front of lots of people that we know,” Albert told the Sunday Observer, speaking from her home in Newbury in the English country of Berkshire.

Albert competed at her first Olympics four years ago when she qualified for the 2008 Beijing event and rode in Hong Kong where the equestrian events for those Games were held.

“In Hong Kong we had our own Jamaican clan but here (England) a lot of people I know will be able to watch,” she said, adding that her Jamaica-based parents and other close family members had already made plans to be in London during the show jumping challenge.

Albert’s effort came on Carraigh Dubh, an 11-year-old grey, Irish Thoroughbred gelding she leased in November. They qualified at the Ballindenisk competition in Ireland.

The equestrian decided to lease that horse, which did not qualify for the British team, after a rough few months in which she was unable to compete at the 16th Pan American Games in Mexico in November after her bay gelding, Culture Couture, came down with a virus.

“The British team is very, very competitive to get on to, but this horse wasn’t competitive enough. He would have to win at three star and four start events but he wasn’t in line to get on the British team.”

Her other mount, Squirt, which she also hoped to qualify for the Olympics, Albert explained was not co-operating and so she has decided to rest him for a while.

“Squirt was not playing. I’ve taken him hunting all winter to get him thinking forward but he was just too careful a horse. I can’t really rely on him now.”

Albert has until June to try to qualify a second horse for the Olympics: “I needed to qualify one horse by the first of March to be able to retain my zoning slot. I will try to get Culture Couture by June 12,” she explained.

Culture Couture won’t be in action again until April: “He has to go to two events. He needs to just get out and try to compete a little bit.”

Albert will next compete aboard Carraigh Dubh at the Open Intermediate at Aldon, Dorset on March 18 and then an event at Belton Park, Lincolnshire from March 30 to April 1 in a bid to build their relationship.

“There is huge hype in England already about the Olympics. It is really strange to do it on a horse that I don’t really know. So we have four months to establish a partnership.”

That being said, Albert admitted she will not be placing too much pressure on her leased mount: I’m going to play it a little bit by ear. He has qualified and I don’t want to run him too much and risk an injury.”

Albert did not wish to guess at what her finish may be like in London at the equestrian competition set for Greenwich from July 27 to 31.

“It’s very hard to say because I don’t really know the horse. I played with him through the winter and I managed to cross country train him once. I know he is a good horse. I know what mistakes I made in Ireland so I’ve now got the next few months to build a very good partnership with him. He will cope with the hills in Greenwich very well.”

Albert, who has so far funded her own Olympic bid said she would still be hoping for some assistance from the local equestrian federation ahead of the Games.