MARLBOROUGH-based eventer Jock Paget admitted that two years ago he wasn’t even sure if he would be riding again let alone preparing himself for his second Olympic Games.

The New Zealand rider, who was selected in the four-strong Kiwi team to travel to Rio last week, was cleared of doping charges back in August 2014 after his horse, Clifton Promise, failed a drugs test after winning Burghley in 2013.

The Olympic bronze medallist returned in fine form, claiming second place at Burghley, followed by a third-place finish at Badminton last spring to put him firmly in contention for a place at Rio.

The 32-year-old has put that ordeal firmly behind him now and is looking forward to performing on the biggest stage next month.

“I knew there was going to be a logical reason for how it had happened, I just didn’t know what it was at the beginning of the situation,” he told the Gazette & Herald.

“After the first couple of weeks when we realised it was a contamination and how it had got there, then all those things went away.

“But I did have the moments for a couple of days when I did think ‘this could be it for me’, no competitions, everything that I have given up to come over here and do will be gone.

“As soon as we were able to trace the contamination, I knew we were able to prove this and then I will be able to get back to the top.

“I can’t say I think about it too much anymore. For the first 12 months I thought about it too much.

“It was just all the things that came with it.

“You knew when you went to competitions that people were thinking things and saying things and you hear it on the loud speaker and they liked to bring it up a lot.

“You don’t hear it anymore and I don’t think about it anymore and it is very much back to business.”