My earliest recollection of school is of walking through the fields at Tinnock, near Clashmore, Co Waterford, to the two-teacher school nearby. I come from a big family - there were 14 of us - and I was always accompanied by some of my older brothers and sisters.

I have happy memories of primary school but I found the transition to the Christian Brothers in Youghal difficult at first. The move from a small country school to a big town school was a big change.

The unhappiest day of my life in Youghal was the day we were told that Brother Price, who taught woodwork and Irish, had died of a heart attack. This was a great loss - he was very kind and understanding, a fantastic teacher.

I started riding when I was six and at 14 won my first RDS championship. Then, just after my Inter Cert, I was picked to go to Canada and the United States with the junior international show-jumping team. After that experience I knew that I wanted to become an international showjumper.

I discovered that I needed two Leaving Cert subjects in order to get an Army cadetship from which I could move into the Army Equitation School. Some 84 cadets were taken on in 1976 and five of us were destined for the Equitation School.

The Army was a culture shock. On our first morning in the Curragh we were woken up at 6.30 a.m. in pitch black and freezing cold. We spent 13 months in the Curragh being transformed into soldiers. We learned to march, to carry rifles and to assemble, to clean and fire weapons.

It was a fantastic course - absolutely brilliant. The physical demands were huge but we were all superbly fit and we cadets all became great friends.

When we moved into the Equitation School we immediately started on a six-week grooms' course. After that we spent five-and-a-half-hours every day in the saddle - each of us riding four horses. We had to relearn to ride because during our military training our muscle structure had changed. We were also riding to a much higher level and had to learn the finer points of equitation.

Things happened very quickly for me. I got some nice horses which started to win for me. In 1980 I jumped in my first Nation's Cup for Ireland - two-and-a-half years after I arrived in the school.

I've had a fantastic time. Every day is different. It's fabulous - but it can be a very lonely life. Since 1980 I've been competing every summer weekend at shows in the United States, Europe and Ireland. My time in Ireland is very precious to me.

Captain John Ledingham has been a member of the Irish showjumping team since 1980. He spoke to Yvonne Healy.