The horses love it . . . afterwards we take them out into the sea to let them cool down.

I got soaking wet and filthy and was shaking sand out of my hair for the rest of the week, but you couldn't ask for a better start to the day.

I always love this time of year anyway.

For us jumps people, it's the time when the horses that are going to be the stars in the winter start coming back in from the fields after their summer breaks. I saw Hedgehunter back in Willie Mullins's yard the other week as well. It's like seeing old friends. Come Monday week, Willie's yard will be full again, with the farrier in shoeing horses all day and all the staff running around the place getting things in full swing.

But we've to get Galway out of the way first. The first thing to say about Galway is that it's different. Out on its own. Its popularity with the public is incredible when you consider that there are really only two properly good races all week. It's strange to think that a day of top-class racing at the Punchestown festival could draw a crowd of 25,000 whereas Ladies Day at Galway could see 50,000 through the gate. But that's Galway. Trying to make sense of it would spoil the fun of it.

It's the highlight of racing people's summers. I loved going to it when I was a kid. There was always stuff to do, be it mess about on the amusements in the infield or go out to Salthill in the evening. And as I got older then and saw more of it, I came to understand why it was so popular. It's because it caters for everybody. From the corporate people in the marquees to the fellas that have the Racing Post under their arm every morning of the year. Racing people love it, nonracing people love it even more because without a doubt, Galway is the best town in Ireland to enjoy yourself in.

The jockeys enjoy it too, although not to the extent that some of the public might like to think we do. I know that every time I'm seen with a glass of Coke or water in my hand over the next week, some smart lads who've lost money on a horse I rode will tell everyone that they saw that hoor Walsh drinking vodka down in the Hole In The Wall. There's not much I can do about that. All I know is that my conscience will be clear.

This is another way in which Galway is different, though. It's not the height of our season so, in most cases, we'll get to stay in Galway instead of having to go back to the yards to ride work the next morning. That won't be the case at the other time really until next summer.

Allour friends are pretty much exclusively racing people and all of them will be in Galway having a laugh. So yeah, you'll see jockeys in the pubs over the next week and yeah, they'll all have drinks in their hands.

But that doesn't mean we're all on the batter.

As you get older, you take it all a bit easier of course but there have definitely been nights when the craziness got the better of us. One year David Casey won the Galway Hurdle and the syndicate that owned the horse were all locals. We went back to meet them all at the Corrib Hotel that night and before we knew it it was four o'clock and we all had to ride out in the morning.

Myself and Casey went out to his car to get a couple of hours' sleep and at about six, we went in and got James Nash.

We tossed a coin in the car to see who'd have to drive it back and, thanks be to God, Casey lost. He drove home, I slept. Or at least I slept a bit of the way until the radiator burst on us. We eventually made it back to work late, rode out three lots, hopped into my car because Casey's was bucked by this stage and turned around and headed back to Galway.

It's that kind of week. Things happen that you couldn't imagine happening any other week of the year. Last year, Paul Carberry was heading out to the races one of the days and he left himself a bit late. Now, anyone who knows Galway during race week knows that a bit late is too late. So what does Carberry do? Turns around, heads back to the Corrib hotel where they're running helicopter trips out to the course and pushes to the front of the queue, apologising all the way with his big Carberry smile on him. And everyone stands there laughing, as if to say, "Well of course. That's Galway for you."

Like I said, most of the racing isn't great but the Plate and the Hurdle are quality races. Although many rate Ansar for the Plate, I have to say I think Ursumman is looking really well-handicapped. The Hurdle is absolutely wideopen but I know Paul Nolan is sweet on Cuan na Grai. He's won the last three in a row and when a horse gets on a roll it can be hard to stop.

Just like the festival itself.