Arko's delight

Olympia 2005 - BBC coverage Sunday, BBC Two, 1300 Coming up on Grandstand

Nick Skelton and Arko III will lead the British challenge at the Olympia Showjumping International event this weekend.

The pair have already won a record £325,000 in prize money this year and Skelton rates the 11-year-old stallion as as the best he has ever had.

The pair have made vast improvements since they narrowly missed out on a medal at the Athens Olympics, and Arko was honoured by the British Horse Society in November with a place in their Hall of Fame.

"This year has probably been my best year I've ever had, Arko is an absolutely terrific horse probably the best I've ever had," Skelton told BBC Sport.

"He's a one-in-a-lifetime horse; not many people get the opportunity to ride a horse like this.

"He's very intelligent, careful and absolutely brilliant at jumping."

Skelton's ride underlined his class recently, finishing third in the Toronto World Cup round, fourth in the Washington equivalent, second in the Las Vegas Invitational and second in the Calgary Grand Prix.

The London show's most well-known and exciting classes include the FEI Jumping World Cup Qualifier, the Accenture Christmas Puissance and the Olympia Grand Prix.

Other British hopes rest with the Whitaker family, notably Michael and his talented mare Portofino, who could again hit top form in either the World Cup round or Monday's Links of London Grand Prix.

Ellen, Robert and John Whitaker are also among the 11 British riders.

OLYMPIA SHOWJUMPING QU&A

Who won last year?
Grand Prix: Marcus Ehning on Sandro Boy
Puissance: John Whitaker on Exploit du Roulard and Michael Aabo on Levianthan
FEI Jumping World Cup Richard Davenport on Laguina.

What is the FEI Jumping World Cup?
The World Cup event at Olympia is one of 13 fixtures in the Western European League.

The league winners will travel to Kuala Lumpar next April for the Grand Final.

How much does Olympia differ from outdoor events?
For a start the arena is far tighter than outdoors, and the ground is not grass or dirt but a mixture of rubber and sand.

There are more obvious distractions indoors than outside - notably the noise from the crowd and the fact that the fences are closer together.

You need an experienced horse that won't get flustered by all of these elements.

What is the Puissance?
It's basically showjumping's version of the high jump. Horses have to jump increasingly high fences until there is an outright winner -

How much training do the horses need?
On average it takes four to five years to train a showjumping horse - a considerable investment of time, effort and money.

What skills should a good horse have?
Showjumping horses need intelligence, obedience and athleticism.

And what about the rider?
Patience, a cool head and bravery - your next fall is just around the corner!

Can I go and watch?
Olympia is an incredibly popular event, and invariably sold out months in advance.

Tickets usually go on sale every July - check their website at www.olympiashowjumping.com for more details.

And don't forget that you can watch this year's show on Sunday, BBC Two at 1300.