The two riders are the first New Zealand equestriennes to make the Paralympics in eight years, after Jayne Craike proved to be the last athlete to represent the country in the sport at Athens in 2004.

"With just 139 days to go until the opening of the London 2012 Paralympic Games, it is fantastic to have our first athletes selected," Paralympics New Zealand chief executive Fiona Allan said.

"The Paralympic Games are the pinnacle of Paralympic sport globally and I have no doubt Rachel and Anthea will do all of New Zealand proud when they take on the world in London."

For grade three Para-dressage rider Stock, getting the official nod to go to London 2012 is the first step in her dream of bringing home a medal.

The 40-year-old mother of two from Pokeno admits that she has been working towards her ultimate goal of winning a Paralympic medal for years after winning every New Zealand Para championship title in both the 2010/2011 season and 2011/2012 season.

"New Zealand is giving us every opportunity and now it is down to Ricky [her horse] and me," said Stock (pictured below).

"I have immense confidence that Ricky will bring home a medal.

"Just how good he is was reiterated by top FEI (Fédération Equestre Internationale) judges recently which has made me dig deeper and try so much harder.

"He just continues to improve every day.

"This announcement brings immense pride and happiness to us all."


Meanwhile, Gunner is still coming to terms with being named officially for the New Zealand team.

The 30-year-old from Rangiora, who was injured in a horse accident in 2006, has had a rapid rise to the top.

After being paralysed from the waist down following the accident, she bought her horse Huntingdale Incognito in late 2007 and started competing in early 2008.

The former eventer and show jumper is now thriving in the world of Para-dressage where she competes at grade two level.

"I was never going to give up horses and once I started riding again, I realised that maybe I could compete again and it has just grown from there," she said.

Gunner and her horse Incognito headed to Australia late last year and produced more sterling results to earn her qualification for London 2012.

"He handled it like a pro and since then our marks have just kept on going up," she said.

"To be named is just amazing.

"I knew we had done all that we needed to but just didn't really think it would happen."

The Paralympic equestrian competition will take place in Greenwich Park from August 30 to September 4, with 78 athletes set to compete across 11 medal events.

More sports are expected to release selections over the next few months with the entire New Zealand Paralympic team set to be named in early July.

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