'I'd never even stroked a horse before, never mind sat on one'

On a hectic morning at one of Britain's busiest stables surrounded by some of the finest horses in the land, the conversation shifts to a different kind of animal.

Despite staff at David O'Meara's yard on the outskirts of York coming to work with their dogs, they're not the topic of discussion. Deer are known to roam these parts, but it's not them either. No, we're talking pheasants.

Gamebirds hadn't been on the agenda as I prepared to spend a day in the company of work-rider Kevin Skelton, but childhood memories of Danny the Champion of the World come flooding back as he talks about his life before racing.