AS I write this, I am just home from Oslo so it is time to re-charge the batteries, re-pack the bags then head off again to Helsinki.

I can’t wait. The horses all jumped great last weekend so I am really looking forward to Helsinki this weekend.

On Sunday in Oslo’s World Cup, I had one fence down with Antello, who jumped very well. We finished 15th and this gave me my first World Cup points of the season.

I only got two points and will probably need somewhere close to 40 to qualify for the World Cup final in Las Vegas in April but, who knows, the ones I picked up in Oslo might be the ones that get me over the line.

Antello will not be going to Helsinki this weekend as the week after I have Lyon, another World Cup show, and I want to save him for that. Instead he will be replaced by the 11-year-old grey Dundee and in Helsinki I plan to ride Living The Dream in the World Cup.

Living The Dream, or Dave as he is known at home, also went very well in Oslo, jumping a double clear in Saturday’s Grand Prix to finish in eighth place.

At a lot of these World Cup shows run a Grand Prix on the Saturday and the World Cup on Sunday. Generally the World Cup is the feature class and pays the most money but the Grand Prix is also 1.60m and pays very well. For example, Helsinki’s Saturday Grand Prix pays €100,000 and Sunday’s World Cup pays €120,000.

The third horse I had in Oslo was the nine-year-old bay mare Caretina De Joter. A lot of people don’t really know this mare but I think she is something special. Caretina was bred on Holstein, Germany and stands about 16.1hh.

I’ve had her a year now but I’m only starting to do the bigger classes with her now. She was fourth in Friday’s big class, the 1.50m, and I moved her back down to the 1.45m final on Sunday where she finished second. The reason I did this is that she is ultra careful and I want her jumping at her ease and having fun, so when she jumps a bigger class and puts in a lot of effort I like to give her a softer class next time out. That’s only for the moment as once she is regularly jumping 1.50m and 1.60m classes, she will take it all in her stride.

Talking about Caretina reminds me about the importance of producing our young horses well. If you have a top young horse it is so important to give it time and a proper education to develop it to its full potential.

I’m very lucky to have three top nine-year-old horses coming through and owners (Eleonore Paschoud and Yves Bouvier), who were willing to give me the time to produce them but there is more to it than just luck.

I have the horses because my owners wanted a rider they could trust to buy good young horses and educate them well. So the years up to this point I spent building a reputation as a rider, that could not only ride the big classes but also give a horse the chance to develop, have been well spent.

My owners also wanted a rider who would school the horses well so that the horses are rideable and look good in the ring so the years I spent trying to improve my own riding and skill have also been well spent.

Throughout my career I have trained with Tommy Gibbons and Gisela Holstein in Ireland, Gerry Mullins both in Ireland and Germany and even now I still get pointers from my brother Carl, who I share the yard with.

It’s true, I’m very lucky to have what I have but as the saying goes, the harder I work, the luckier I get.

The way I see it, to be successful in this game, whether it’s as someone who wants to sell horses or compete, the best way to go about it is as follows:

1. First of all, try to buy the best horse you can find. If you try a horse and you love it but it is too expensive, don’t give up. Try and get someone to buy it with you. Really good horses are very hard to find so if you find one, don’t leave it behind. In the past, I have done exactly that with my brother Carl and Enda Carroll of Ashford Farm.

2. Take your time with a young horse. If the horse needs time, give it time. If the horse is good enough, be patient and don’t hurry. I guarantee you it will pay off in the long run.

3. Educate yourself, try and ride in a stylish and sympathetic manner. Nobody wants to see a bully on a horse and even if you are not a top rider, a soft rider is much more attractive to watch.

4. Have your horse well schooled. If you’re having trouble or even if you’re not, go for lessons and get help. Always try to improve yourself and your horse. When the time comes to sell your horse, the easier it is to ride, the easier it will be to sell and the more money you will make. Or if your dream is to jump the big stuff, believe me it’s much nicer to jump a 1.60m Grand Prix on a horse that’s listening to you than on one that’s trying to kill you.

I think if you stick to these four points, you will be well on your way to success.

For me, riding the shows I am riding now is a dream come true but riding these shows on horses that have been developed by me or people close to me make it even more special. There is nothing more rewarding that working with a horse, watching it learn and grow and then getting the chance to ride it on the big stage. Even horses I’ve had who have gone on and done well with other riders later make me very proud of what part I played in their careers. It doesn’t always work but when it does there is simply nothing better.

Cameron Hanley is an Irish international show jumper based in Germany.