I am a great believer that ex-racehorses can go on to successful second careers as riding horses. Thankfully, due to the work of rehoming centres and charities such as the Retraining of Racehorses, more and more people are discovering this to be true.

My first two ponies were typical Welsh section B's - sometimes brilliant, often naughty, but a lot of fun. When I outgrew them, I was lucky enough to own Shamein of Mallet, a 14hh part-bred Arab riding pony who introduced me to county level showing and Elementary level dressage. She was truly angelic - sure-footed, sweet natured and totally safe.

Which is why it was something of a shock to progress from her to my first ex-racehorse, at the age of 15. Hotdiggity was an eight-year-old, 16.2hh steeplechaser. The first moment I saw him, he was floating off across a field with his head in the air and his huge, elevated trot. I was both impressed and terrified, wondering how I would ever manage to stay on him.

'Cracker' (not my choice of name - but somehow it suits!) had won over fences, but had done a tendon and been sent to a blood bank for 18 months. The plan was to borrow him for the summer, bring him back into work, do some low-level competing with him, and if he could cope with that then he was to go back into training.

Instantly, we clicked. He went on an outline, he had lovely paces, and he was incredibly intelligent and trainable. But he was a Thoroughbred. He could be sharp, whipping round in an instant. He was a handful in the stable. The first time he went somewhere in the horsebox, he was almost unrideable, throwing himself about in excitement at the thought of galloping and jumping for 2miles. It took half a dozen trips for him to realise that the most exciting thing I was going to ask him to do was pop a small fence or halt at X.

Within four months of me riding him, he'd done his first Elementary test. He was brilliantly dependable in the dressage arena (apart from the first few times we did dressage at Musselburgh racecourse, when he spotted the rails and went to pieces, scoring 2s and 8s all in the same test). Then the autumn arrived and I had to say goodbye. He went back into training, was given a full clip and fed full of concentrates, then two weeks later the syndicate who had bought him dropped out, and he was sold to us.

The plan was to sell him when I went to university - but somehow he ended up staying throughout a gap year, four years of studying, and a move to London for work. Along the way, he had taken me to Medium level, introduced me to affiliated dressage, and had a go at most other disciplines too.

Cracker lived to the age of 23, and was happily living in blissful semi-retirement at my Mum's house in Scotland when one day he had a heart attack out in his field. He is sadly missed and was a truly unforgettable horse.

Hot Diggity, 1988-2011

In 2009, I decided it was time to get a new horse - Cracker was too settled at home to adjust to life in the South East. So I contacted the Darley retraining scheme back in February, and that summer I went to meet some prospective horses.

I was hugely impressed by all the horses I met - they were all sweet in the stable and quiet to ride. Out of the three I rode on the day, it was Confidence Trick - 'Tricky' - who impressed me the most. He was only four years old and by far the greenest, but he was obedient and willing, and he hacked out quietly.

After a second visit, it was decided - Tricky was mine, at least for a three month trial. He moved to a local livery yard, and instantly settled in. He is an absolute lamb to handle, has a cheeky but nice temperament, and is lovely to hack out - not spooky, good in traffic.

We took things slowly from September to December, just working on our flatwork and starting polework and jumping. After the cold snap in January, he started to progress more quickly, so this Spring we began competing. We've just been doing little unaffiliated competitions, but he's already won a few prelims and has been placed in his first jumping competition.

Tricky, who is spectacularly misnamed as he's far from it, is a real example that not all Thoroughbreds are scatty or sharp. I'm really enjoying owning him (he passed the three month trial and is now officially mine) and I'm looking forward to his future.