“In August 2008, I competed as part of Team GB at the Beijing Olympics. We flew out in time to acclimatise the horses and ourselves to the heat. Despite being in Hong Kong and not Beijing, what struck us was the enormity of it all. Tankers Town flew separately, and seeing him get packed off in a cargo plane was peculiar! When I got there, he looked pleased to see me but horses are very resilient and he behaved exactly as he would at home.

I did my dressage test on the Sunday morning at 7.30am, which was early but still – amazingly - the arena was full. We went cross-country the next morning. As soon as we’d had our briefing we walked the course. We’d been told that it would be the equivalent of a 4* but sometimes they make it a little bit easier for some of the less experienced nations to ensure they can get round. It didn’t seem much easier to me! It was such a twisty course, which made it difficult to remember exactly what line to take so I really had to walk it thoroughly. It was fantastic to ride, although it seemed a little bit surreal because we were riding in the Olympics!

The show jumping was incredible because the stadium was packed and the atmosphere was electric. Standing on the podium was an incredibly happy occasion and it was great to do it with such a fabulous team of people.

When I got back from Hong Kong, I had a great time celebrating with friends and family. I was lucky enough to be invited to be part of the audience for Strictly Come Dancing. I really enjoyed attending Sports Personality of the Year and plan to make that a regular date in the calendar.

Possibly the most special memory is of the Olympic Parade in London; it was humbling to share such a unique experience with so many remarkable sportspeople and it was an honour to meet the Queen.

The social events are fun, but the whole Olympic experience has made me even hungrier and I am training really hard. Every day is focussed on upping my game.

Tankers Town came back into full work about three months after we got back from Hong Kong. He’s going really well and is even fresher than some of the young horses I’m working on! During the winter months I focus on dressage and show jumping. I have had jumping lessons with Yogi, and also worked hard at home. Basically, I have been as active with the horses as I normally am during the eventing season, except I don’t do any galloping work.

I have also been working on my own fitness. I try and do some sort of exercise – swimming, running, yoga or gym work – everyday.”