“I think now, looking back, she would have been too young,” Ebeling said. “It was a real bummer.”

But a new problem emerged for Rafalca shortly after the Olympic team trials. During the 2009 World Cup in Las Vegas, one of her first international competitions, shortly after Ebeling and Rafalca entered the ring for their event, “she saw ghosts everywhere,” Ebeling said. “She did not want to be in that arena. Her warm-ups were fantastic, but she saw something and that was the end of it. Horses, they’ll keep you humble.”

After the Las Vegas debacle, Ebeling added sports psychology to his training repertory. He also worked with Rafalca in an arena with mirrors and more noise, hoping to expose her to elements beyond the normal tranquillity of the ranch.

It seemed to work. In 2010, Rafalca was chosen as an alternate for the World Equestrian Games. In 2009, 2010 and 2011, Rafalca competed in the World Cup. Rafalca continued to improve and competed well in the United States but struggled in international competitions. Last July, Rafalca and Ebeling came in 28th at a Grand Prix event in Aachen, Germany, and in April this year, Rafalca came in 15th, 16th and 17th in a series of Grand Prix events.

Many dressage insiders considered Rafalca a long shot for the American team, especially with Ravel, a 14-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding, tearing up the international circuit. (Ravel also earned a spot on the dressage team.) The Ebelings, too, knew that making the United States team would be competitive. Rafalca finished third at the Olympic trials, barely earning her a berth — and a first Olympic spot for the fit, 53-year-old Ebeling.

After trials in Gladstone, N.J., Rafalca traveled (yes, with fruit) to Layham Hall to become acclimated before the dressage competitions. Rafalca was slightly jet-lagged, taking naps midday in her stall, but has adjusted well from the heat of the Northeast to the cool climate of London, Amy Ebeling said. “She does better in a cool environment than a hot and humid climate,” she said.

Rafalca will stick to her normal diet and workout schedule, with some grazing on the fresh grass at the facility. Ebeling does not train in complete isolation leading into the competition, but his focus becomes sharper, he said. “It’s easier for Jan to focus on him and his horse,” Amy Ebeling said. “She’s been in great spirits there.”

She added: “I know it sounds crazy. But she is so loving and sweet. She is so kind and knowing. You look into her eyes and you can see her soul. I don’t know if we’re ever going to have another horse like this again.”