MEDIA STORM

"I was back in Germany when the Japanese media started kicking up a fuss about me so I hadn't experienced the storm first hand until now," said Hoketsu.

"It's not as if I'm going to win a medal at the Olympics so obviously the reason for the interest is my age. I'm beginning to feel my age with all the fuss but I want to show that I'm actually getting better as I get older."

Hoketsu insists he has no secret formula for appearing to have defied the ageing process, beyond waking up before sunrise and riding his horse across dew-wet fields.

"I haven't smoked for 30 years but I used to smoke and drink so it's not like I'm that stoic," he smiled. "I always woke up at 5 a.m. and go for a ride before going to the office.

"After I retired, my wife let me go to Germany. Before the Athens Olympics in 2004 I went over to look for a horse and began thinking about trying to make an Olympic comeback."

Hoketsu found his current horse 'Whisper' in Germany and settled in the city of Aachen, along the country's border with Belgium and the Netherlands.

"I thought about quitting and coming back to Japan many times," he said. "But I'm stubborn. I have improved technically, not just experience-wise, and feel I can get even better."

MAJOR TEST

Hoketsu admitted the stifling humidity forecast for the Olympic period, as well as fears over equine influenza and bird flu, will prove a major test for both horse and rider.

"Hong Kong will more than likely be more humid than a Japanese summer -- maybe 80 percent humidity and over 30 degrees celsius, which is stressful for the horse," he said.

"We've been told the stables will be air-conditioned but we'll have to take care not to over-work the horse in practice, in order to keep her fresh."

Hoketsu is adamant he will not ride off into the sunset post-Beijing.

"In dressage my age is a plus," he said. "I have experience but I'm also in the best form of my life. I don't know if this is my big chance or my last chance.

"But I started riding when I was 12 and if anything I'm more passionate about it than ever."