One last fight for bad-boy Skelton

Surgeons mended the vertebrae but later discovered that the ligament between the bone and spinal cord had snapped, leaving no support. Skelton was warned that if he fell off a horse again or suffered whiplash, it might be fatal. Now, 14 months on, he has changed his mind about retiring.

"I've had several scans and recently visited Bettina's uncle in Germany, he's a leading surgeon, and he said it would be okay to compete again."

Most people - especially after having been forced to wear a halo brace to immobilise one's upper spine for five months - would not even contemplate riding. But he said: "You are wrong, it's not a great risk. My neck is mended and has healed perfectly. If I thought it was a risk, I wouldn't do it."

There is no doubt the sport has missed him. In 27 extraordinary years, he broke the world record for Nations Cup team appearances (122) and has 137 Great Britain 'caps' to his credit (including Olympic Games, World and European-Championships). He won the Hickstead Derby three times, the King George V Gold Cup four times and the World Cup once. His British high jump record of 7ft 7ins remains unbeaten and, through the course of his career, he won more than £4million in prize-money.

Skelton's indominatable will to win always came in tandem with a fiery personality.

He was only 21 when Harvey Smith knocked him unconscious at a dinner party in Geneva. The fight occurred after Skelton poked fun at the veteran rider's routine of singing Roger Whittaker's song, I'm Gonna Leave Old Durham Town.

His fight with Ted Edgar in a hotel foyer in Gothenburg was more serious. From the age of 15, he had worked in the yard of Edgar, a respected rider and trainer. After trading insults, Skelton said: "I punched him twice, a left and a right. We ended up brawling on the floor in reception and for good measure I gave him a kick while we were down. At that point the hotel staff threw me out."

During his enforced break from the sport, controversy and Skelton continued to be bedfellows.

He was reprimanded after an incident that was reported to have taken place at the European Young Riders Championships at Gijon in northern Spain last summer when brothers Richard and James Davenport, now 22 and 19, were members of the British team. Skelton was there as an advisor to a young rider and it was alleged that, after a few drinks, he gave the brothers a piece of his mind.

On the 7 February this year, the Stewards of the British Showjumping Association said: "Mr Skelton was severely reprimanded and cautioned as to his future behaviour. Mr Skelton was found to have used foul and abusive language towards Richard and James Davenport and conducted himself in a manner detrimental to the character and/or prejudicial to the interests of the Association, thereby contravening Rule 82.11."

Predictably, Skelton is unrepentant. "I'd do the same again. I'll never be taken for an idiot, I told them they shouldn't just amble round but try to win because that's the name of the game. Right now, they are not good enough. Look at the facts; Richard has had 10 shots at qualifying for the World Cup Final in Leipzig and failed to do so. It is generally thought that his backer Martin Dawes has paid for him to compete at certain shows, which can't be right if it means that, sometimes, better riders get excluded.

" When John and Michael Whitaker and I were 18 and 19-yearoldswe'd all already got major Grands Prix victories to our credit and Michael won the Hickstead Derby when he was 18. We had to fight and claw our way up the ladder. So too did the current world No1, Germany's Ludger Beerbaum, and it's certainly done him no harm."

Skelton has used his time off to look at business ideas and, in partnership with a friend, he has just bought his local pub in Shrewley, Warwickshire, called the Durham Ox. It is close to the comfortable Victorian house near Lowsonford that he shares with Bettina, her daughter Michelle Melliger, and his sons Daniel, aged 17, and Harry, 12, from a previous marriage.

He is too canny to confirm it, but the 2004 Olympics in Athens are at the forefront of his mind. An Olympic medal is the only accolade missing from Skelton's vast collection of trophies and awards. A place on the British team in Greece must surely be his target.

His first major outing will be at the Devon County Show in three weeks' time. The fixture coincides with the Royal Windsor Horse Show, where his main rivals and the equestrian press will be gathered, so enabling Skelton to start his campaign away from the limelight.

He said: "This year I'm going to ride three or four horses on the County Circuit and concentrate on building them up. One of these will be Arco, a promising but internationally inexperienced eight-year-old by the German stallion Argentus."

Arco is owned by Skelton's friend, the multi-millionaire John Hales, owner of the late lamented steeplechaser One Man. Hales's fortune is derived from his Golden Bears company and the Teletubbies.

Skelton, a passionate racing enthusiast, acts unofficially as racing manager and their recent purchases include Mr Banjo, Heros Collonges and Azertyuiop. Last Monday, the pair were in Europe negotiating the possible purchase of future star horses.

As Skelton prepares to take the gamble of riding again, he is looking for a sponsor. When it comes to publicity, good and bad, it's a safe bet that he will be making fresh headlines all the way to Athens.