One last festive challenge to come as Wilson looks to future with optimism

Her first attempt at cooking Christmas lunch is ahead – after which attentions will turn to challenging for further equestrian success in the New Year.

Northallerton-based Wilson has enjoyed a 2012 to remember with the year revolving around her team eventing silver medal triumph at the London Olympics.

The 36-year-old is not prepared to rest on her laurels and she has success at the Rio Olympics in 2016 her long-term goal.

Before that comes next year’s European Eventing Championships in Malmo and the 2014 World Equestrian Games in Normandy.

Wilson – married to property developer Alistair – said: “We are all really looking forward to Christmas and it will be a Yorkshire Christmas in Northallerton for me.

“I’m also doing Christmas lunch for the first time this year so I’m sure the pressure will be on.

“Mum usually does Christmas and she does a fantastic job so I am feeling a little bit under pressure finishing 2012 with doing Christmas lunch myself. But I am very much looking forward to it.”

Wilson says her famous mount, Opposition Buzz, has plenty left on his agenda.

“Opposition Buzz is looking forward to next season and I’m hoping to take him to Badminton next Spring,” revealed Wilson.

“He’s 15 but he’s still feeling very full of himself, he’s very well and he’s showing no signs of wanting to hang up his boots yet anyway! “It’s lovely to think that I still have him whilst, hopefully, producing some younger horses that will eventually take over from him.”

Analysing some of her longer term prospects, Wilson added: “Annie Clover has been a very promising horse that I have had for four years now and I produced her from a four-year-old.

“She’s always been in the top few of her age group all the way through and I hope that she will be a promising one for the future.

“Another Yorkshire-bred horse we have is Beltane Queen as well as Ngong Hills and both of those have shown a lot of promise.

“So many things can go wrong but they are showing a lot of promise at this stage. As far as this next year goes, Opposition Buzz will to go Badminton and we are hoping that Annie Clover and Beltane Queen will go to Yorkshire’s premier event at Bramham in June. That’s where we would be hoping to impress the selectors.”

It has been impossible to be anything but impressed with Wilson, although she says this year’s successes could not have been possible without a strong team behind her. I have got some fantastic supportive owners who have been with me for a lot of years, obviously including Rosemary Search, who owned and bred Opposition Buzz,” said Wilson, who has been invited to celebratory events at both Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle in light of this summer’s success.

“I’m so grateful to my owners who are predominantly Yorkshire-based and also my sponsors and support team at the yard that make so much possible.

“There’s such a big support team behind me and without their huge support there is no way I would have been able to have achieved my childhood dreams.

“I would also like to say how grateful we are to UK Sport and the involvement of the National Lottery because they really have played a huge role and helped both myself and other athletes enormously.

“I am just delighted that they are continuing their support forwards to Rio in four years’ time which is just fantastic.

“I have got the Olympic bug now and I am desperately keen to be part of Team GB and the British team,” said Wilson. “We have got the Europeans next year followed by the World Equestrian Games and then the Olympics and we just have to keep working hard and do our groundwork.

“Hopefully, if we do that these horses will come through and will be in the hunt for the next few years leading up to Rio.”