IT’s ‘storm day’ at the World Equestrian Games and despite the trot up going on in the lashing rain outside, it is a day of no competition, which gives journalists the perfect opportunity to meet some of the athletes at a loose end.

Perhaps the least well-known of the 16 Irish athletes in Tryon, through no fault of his talent but rather due to his residency in Australia and the relatively low profile of his sport in Ireland, reining athlete Bernard O’Sullivan was a pleasure to talk to.