CROSS COUNTRY day is always tough at a three day event, but I thought this one would be the worst of all. As it turned out the heat wasn't nearly so bad as we expected. In fact I was actually cold on phase A (the first roads and tracks).

We had an incredibly early start. I got up at 4.30 a.m., picked up the others and then came out to the horse park. We went to the athletes lounge for breakfast, but they weren't serving until six o'clock, so just had an apple while I was studying my cross country times and going through all my routes.

At six I went up to the stables and got dressed while Duneight Carnival was being plaited. We left the yard at 6.40 and the horse was led up to the start while I weighed out. I was exactly 75 kilos (the minimum weight for the cross country) fully dressed, which is the first time I've been that light for a long time, but I could use my saddle for the weigh in if I lost too much weight out on the course.

I started on phase A at 6.54, which was 16 minutes of trotting and a bit of cantering just to warm up the horse for the steeplechase. The chase went really well. The horse just cruised round and we finished about five seconds inside the time, but we did have to keep motoring.

Phase C (the second roads and tracks, to allow the horse to cool down after the steeplechase) was a bit different from usual, with two 10 minute stops in the new cooling zones. The horses were washed down and their temperature and heart rate monitored. It was actually 55 minutes in total, with 35 minutes of trotting.

The horse was drying off in between the cooling zones and came into the Dbox (before the start of the cross country) really fresh and well. We arrived early at 8.08, so we had 16 minutes to refresh the horse before we headed out on the cross country.

We set off at 8.24 and although he started off really strong, he had a bit of a look at the second fence. He was very good at the next few, but took another good look at the bounce at eight, but I was quite strong at it, so it was okay.

He went perfectly through the first water he couldn't have done it better but we so nearly fell between 12 and 13. He went along with his nose on the ground for about five strides and I just kept saying to myself, "I'm gone, I'm gone", but somehow he found a fifth leg. I warned Alfie (Buller) about it afterwards and he still nearly came down there as well.

He jumped into the second water well, but he managed to put a stride in at the boathouse, somehow or other, and he started to get tired after that. He gets very heavy in front then and his head gets low. It's very hard to get him back to me then, so I just have to let him go. But he's so honest, his heart is as big as himself. The only stop I've ever had with him was at Badminton last year and that was my own fault.

He finished brilliantly and I went to weigh in while the support team, led by Ned Campion (OC of the Army Equitation School) with his bucket and sponge, looked after the horse.

After I'd watched the rest of the Irish go around I just had time to grab some spaghetti and fruit, plus tons of water, for lunch and then snatched an hour's sleep before I got on my other horse, Tilt `n' Turn (for the individual competition) just before four o'clock. He takes at least an hour's work before doing a test and I was due into the arena at 4.54, so I'd done well over 21/2 hours riding by the time I'd finished.

I felt I'd earned a couple of beers after that, but I still had to get myself sorted out to walk the individual cross country course a couple of times. Luckily most of the fences are the same as for the teams, but I still have to sort out my lines.

The team went out for a steak at the Outback at junction 42, but we couldn't really have more than a couple of beers because we've got another very early start for the trot up and show jumping. I don't usually go to bed early, but by 10 o'clock I was more than ready to call it a day.