"Does anyone fancy popping over these?" There was a long silence as six of us looked down from the backs of our horses at a scary ensemble of cross-country fences.

"I will."

Who said that? Oh God, it was me.

No-one else spoke.

"Er, perhaps I won't."

If the bunch I was riding with weren't looking too keen, then there wasn't a hope in hell that I was going to risk my neck. All I had to bolster me was Dutch courageand I was sobering up from that, fast.

The only "popping" I had experienced up to that point was the sound of a champagne cork at lunchtime.

We'd arrived only a couple of hours earlier at Castle Leslie in County Monaghan, just over the border from Northern Ireland, to check out its new equestrian centre, refurbished hunting lodge and health spa. We were all writers who had been chosen for the trip because we could ride.

But over lunch, listening with increasing horror to the conversation, it slowly dawned on me that my fellow journos were horsewomen of a completely different calibre.

Them: "Badminton Horse Trialsblah, blah.a first at Hickstead.blah blah.trained two event horsesblah, blah.cleared five footblah, blah"

Me: (Pony Clubblah, blah.a bit of a trot round the woods.blah,blah.won a rosette in the bucket race in 1972blah, blah, babble, panic, help) I can't ride with these people, I'll be killed.

A dreamy half of Guinness and a few glasses of bubbly later I found myself on the back of a strapping great horse called Basil heading off towards the cross-country course set in the sweeping 1,000-acre Castle Leslie Estate.

A brisk walk and trot and it didn't seem so bad after all. I was still feeling really rather jolly when I volunteered to jump the first few fences.

Until it looked like I was the only one prepared to do it.

But that proved to be the last moment of indecision on the part of my companions. A brief jostle of horses and one by one we all popped the fences, me and Basil jumping last in the hope no one would spot our less than graceful technique.

For the rest of the course Bas and I dipped in and out of the jumping. Teeny fences: Ok here we go. Bigger fences: Grab a big hank of mane, aim horse, shut eyes tightly and hope for the best. Whopping great fences: Whoa-ho, no you don't.

Thankfully Basil knew this made sense. Rather than trying to leap a fence with a shrieking, hysterical woman hanging round his neck, he was only too happy to join me in a pleasant canter to wait for his pals further up the course.

And that's the beauty of the horses at Castle Leslie. They are all willing and most certainly able, but unlike the herd mentality of other riding school horses they don't mind working alone. And they all have brakes.

That's a huge confidence boost for those coming back to riding and improvers - a big slice of the estate's target market.

And if you're going to get back into the saddle there are few more beautiful places to do it.

Castle Leslie - up until now probably best known as venue for the ill-fated marriage between Paul McCartney and Heather Mills - has been family home to the Leslie family for generations.

Now in the very capable hands of Sammie Leslie, the driving force behind the estate's massive regeneration.

The main house has been partly converted into a private club with a stunning cookery school attached which even saddle-sore riders can chose as a bolt-on (no pun intended) to their equestrian break - this is horses for courses in every sense.

Further down the sweeping drive is the state-of-the art equestrian centre and converted hunting lodge, offering gorgeous rooms (some with stable views, which the horsey crowd will love), a dramatic loft-style restaurant with amazing food - after all that fresh air you'll eat like a horse - and a spa.

Mind you, the rooms may be lovelyroll top baths, monsoon-like showers and sumptious beds, but the stables are almost as posh. I had never seen a yard like it. We had the honour of riding the first batch of horses into their new five-star accommodation, all polished wood, automatic feeders, gleaming tack rooms and even a giant washing machine to keep all the rugs spick and span.

There wasn't so much as a whisp of hay out of place.

There was also a massive indoor school - built like a stadium with seating on one side for the many demos by top class horsewomen and men which a place of this calibre can attract.

This arena is also perfect for lessonsand here at Castle Leslie you can learn just about every equestrian skill going, from basic riding to carriage driving and even side-saddle.

Despite all this glory, the real piece de resistance was still under wraps when we arrived. Covered in a sheet was Ireland's only virtual horse. A £40,000 mechanical dobbin that responds to hand and leg aids and is a brilliant way to encourage nervous riders. The more skilled can also use it to practise a dressage test.

More like the Ferrari version of a rocking horse if you ask me and I couldn't wait to hop aboard.

God, I'd love one of these at home. A squeeze with the legs and it would start trotting, another squeeze for a canter, a pull on the reins to slow down, another to stop.

It took a while to get used to the horse's gait, but I soon got the hang of it. In fact, the whole visit to Castle Leslie had a positive influence on my riding.

I don't think Zara Phillips has got anything to worry about, but after a week heremmh, may be I could become quite an accomplished horsewoman.

Well, virtually

HORSES FOR COURSES

Castle Leslie runs packages for those wishing to ride, cook, chill out in the spa or any combination of the above.

A two-day riding programme - Equi Intro for complete beginners, Equi Trek for novices and Equi Improve for intermediate/advanced riders - costs 500 euros per person, inclusive of two full days of activity and two nights accommodation in the Hunting Lodge. A three-course dinner in Snaffles Restaurant costs 45 euros. Website: castleleslie.com Getting there: Castle Leslie is 90 minutes from Dublin airport, 70 minutes from Belfast. Transfers can be arranged by Castle Leslie. There are flights to Dublin from Bournemouth Airport and to both Dublin and Belfast from Southampton Airport.