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Laura Collett brimming with pride after Badminton dressage (UK users only)

Collett has been a prodigy at junior level for some time now, winning gold medals at the 2009 and 2010 . Eventing fans have been waiting for her first senior year and it looks like it will not disappoint. But the pony started it.

"I got very lucky with Noble Springbok," admits Collett as she basks in the sunshine and the admiration of the tens of thousands who turned out to watch Badminton's opening day.

"It was just me and mum," she says, referring to her upbringing in a single-parent household. "Mum has obviously been so supportive, and I couldn't have asked any more of her. We never had money to go out and buy ready-made horses - Noble Springbok was bought very cheap, he was basically an overgrown .

"We sold Noble Springbok to the Soleys, who sold him to the Walkers. But the Walkers then said they wanted to set up their own yard and have somebody help their daughter with the pony.

"The Soleys suggested me, because they knew we weren't really set up and we were willing to move to somewhere a lot better. Mum took the phone call and we went to meet Philip and Sarah Walker for supper.

"We drove away saying, 'There's got to be a catch somewhere, it's too good to be true.' But there wasn't. It was a dream come true to get to have their yard as a base.

"It has changed my life and opened so many doors. We used to rent a yard which didn't have the best facilities and now I probably have better facilities than most people in the sport."

Because the buying and selling of horses is so central to the sport, equestrianism is sometimes prone to the accusation that money talks. As in Formula 1, the argument runs that those who can afford the best vehicle underneath them stand the best chance of winning, without their own skill playing much of a role.

Which is why, in eventing, those riders who have fine-tuned their own horses over a period of years carry something of an added cachet. And despite stumbling upon a financially secure, fantastically resourced environment, Collett's Badminton success is coming on a horse she has worked with since 2006: .

"It always used to be a case of buying and selling to try to keep afloat - and when we sold Noble Springbok, that money we received paid for setting up my eventing career. I bought Rayef with that money," explains Collett.

"Rayef is very cheeky, and he can be very spooky which sometimes lets him down, but I've had him from the beginning. I'm really proud of him, he's been an amazing horse and won me four gold medals now. It'd be a dream come true for him to become my senior horse having gone all the way through juniors.

"It's amazing to have any horse here, but to have one you've produced from scratch and done everything with is definitely the best feeling."

Two days of dressage, the least-popular spectator sport of the three eventing elements, begin the and Collett's routine was almost flawless, handing her the overnight lead. But, like Thursday at the Masters golf, there is a long way to go. Sunday brings the cross-country, where a fall leads to elimination from the whole event, and Monday's finale will be the showjumping.

Stars like William Fox-Pitt, Mary King, Oliver Townend and Pippa Funnell - to name only the British contingent - are lining up to knock Collett off her pedestal. Fox-Pitt and King alone have 92 years of experience between them. The 21-year-old Collett admits that is daunting.

"I feel privileged to be riding against the likes of them. They don't have anything to prove any more whereas I've got everything to prove. But they are brilliant about it, if I want to ask them something they're quite happy to help me."

Asking them to stand aside in Olympic selection may be another matter. Badminton 2011 is the first major Olympic qualifier, where the main aim is to qualify horses rather than riders. The more horses you can get past the qualification standard, the better position you'll be in if your best horse suffers an injury or loses form. British selectors are already watching closely, and Collett is unsure how much challenge she will pose.

"The Olympics is on everyone's mind: there are only five places and a lot of people that want those places," she says.

"I'd obviously absolutely love the chance to go to London 2012, but I've got to do a lot this year and next year to prove I'm worthy of a place - as does everyone. The senior riders have been there, done it and had the experience.

"Horses are horses and you never know - some drop lucky, some don't. I'd love to think I had a chance but realistically 2016 is more likely. If I had the right horse, the right backing and the right lead-up, I'd love a chance to prove I'm ready. If I don't, it's not the end of the world. I just have to try harder."