WILTSHIRE rider Kitty King narrowly missed out on an individual medal but helped Great Britain to team silver as Germany completed a golden double at the Longines FEI European Championships.

The German team of Michael Jung, Sandra Auffarth, Ingrid Klimke and Dirk Schrade made it a a hat-trick of European titles, while Olympic champion Jung was crowned individual gold medallist for a third successive time, emulating former British star Ginny Leng's feat between 1985 and 1989.

With Her Majesty The Queen watching from packed grandstands at a spectacular Blair Castle setting in the Scottish Highlands, Germany romped to victory by the landslide margin of 50.6 penalties from silver medallists Britain and third-placed France.

Jung, meanwhile, was joined on the individual podium by Auffarth, while Frenchman Thibaut Vallette took bronze, just 0.1 of a penalty in front of leading British finisher King, based in Lower Stanton St Quintin near Chippenham, who was fourth on Persimmon.

A delighted King said: “I wasn’t really thinking of a high individual placing I just wanted to go out and get a good solid start for the team, and just didn’t want to let the team down, so I wasn’t really thinking or focussing on individual placings.

"I wanted to go and get the best out of my horse and I think he’s really delivered this week, he’s been on really good form and really on side with me, so I couldn’t have asked for more and just gutted we’re point one behind third place. To get the silver medal with the team is just absolutely brilliant.

"I have got Persimmon and a very nice eight-year-old called Ceylor Lan. I hope to have both horses in the selectors' eyes, but anything can happen. The Olympics is definitely a huge goal of mine, and I would love to try and get there."

Holly Woodhead, based at Coate in Swindon, was 21st on DHI Lupison, and said: “He was jumping amazing up until then, I think I just took a bit of an inside line to the oxer (fence seven) I should have been a little more to the outside and he just clipped it in front which was a real shame.

"I’m relieved. I finished and I’ve completed my first senior Championships – I’m over the moon! I’m thrilled with the horse and our performance it could have gone better but it also could have gone a lot worse, I’m really looking forward to our future.”

The Queen presented medals to team riders King, Nicola Wilson, Pippa Funnell and William Fox-Pitt, but while Britain had four combinations in the top nine, they were bystanders during another German procession.

"I think that the Germans have yet again shown how impressive they are," Great Britain chef d'equipe Yogi Breisner said.

"I said before coming into the competition that we could end up having the best team score that the British team has ever had and still finish second.

"We have not achieved that score, and the conditions (for cross-country on Saturday) didn't allow for that. If it had stayed dry, it would have been a different competition altogether.

"I think we have learnt a lot. We have managed to give riders championship experience and there have been one or two horses and riders with very, very good form."