WORCESTERSHIRE farrier Kelvin Lyner will be living a long-held dream at next month's Olympics.

Mr Lyner, who runs Sandpits Forge in Grimley, near Worcester, has been selected to be one of three Olympic farriers at the equestrian part of this year’s games in China.

He is no stranger to big events. He has been the British team farrier for the World Games, World Championships and European Championships for equestrian endurance events on a number of occasions.

But Mr Lyner, aged 44, had set his sights on the Olympics for some time. He said: “This is one box I wanted to tick. It’s the one competition I haven’t done.”

As the British team farrier Mr Lyner has been taking care of just six horses, but as Olympic farrier he will be on hand to help out all the competing teams with their 250 horses.

He said: “I am apprehensive. It will be a challenge. When you go with the British team you work with six horses and you know them. Now I have 250 horses and do not know any of them. And it is the biggest competition in the world.”

Each team will have its own farriers but the three Olympic farriers will help them out and offer their services if any team does not have a farrier.

Mr Lyner was asked to take part by Olympic head vet Chris Riggs, who wanted him to stay for nine weeks to be present during the build-up to the games and stay on after the Olympics for the Paralympics.

Mr Lyner leaves for Hong Kong, where the equestrian events are being held, on Sunday, August 3. Due to business commitments, he will be staying just three weeks for the games. Farrier Paul Finch will run the forge in his absence. “It will be business as usual while I’m away,” he said Mr Lyner’s mother Janet Chiltern said: “I am very proud of him and over the moon. I could not believe it. He put the phone down and he was jumping up and down and said: ‘I’ve been chosen to go the Olympics’.”