Brash: It has been a wonderful three years

Great Britain collected an amazing haul of 29 gold medals - Brash included - at London 2012, but few, if any, of that victorious British team can subsequently have enjoyed such a sustained and successful career chapter.

Brash, from Peebles, will head into this weekend's London leg of the 2015 Longines Global Champions Tour as arguably the hottest property in equestrian sport to contest the €300,000 Grand Prix.

His breathtaking partnership with the brilliant bay gelding Hello Sanctos is established among the greatest in showjumping history, while Brash himself can reflect on 16 successive months as world number one, a position he has now regained after losing it briefly to Germany's Daniel Deusser.

The 29-year-old Scotsman's career prize money alone stands at more than £3.2 million, and this year he is bidding for a hat-trick of overall GCT titles, having already claimed wins this season at Miami Beach, Monaco and Estoril, while Spruce Meadows in September will see Brash bid to claim the Rolex Grand Slam of Showjumping and its £700,000 jackpot.

Not bad for a boy from Peebles High School, and a rider who only made his senior Great Britain championship team debut less than five years ago.

"It is amazing, really," he said. "When I think back as a kid and to imagine I would be number one in the sport, I wouldn't have believed it.

"It's a great feeling, but I am concentrating on doing my job and trying to produce more horses and stay at the top for as long as possible. I have fantastic horses right now, fantastic owners and a fantastic team, which has helped me stay there, but it still feels quite surreal."

Brash will head a powerful British contingent this week at the west London venue of Syon House, and having won last season's London GCT two years after collecting team gold in Greenwich Park, the capital city holds fond memories.

"It has been a wonderful three years," he added.

"Always when you jump in London it brings back those Olympic memories, which were unbelievable and will live with us for the rest of our lives. It is always a bit extra special for us in London. I don't think we will ever forget that day.

"To be jumping in front of a home crowd is always nice for the British riders - last year was a really memorable victory - and there is no doubt that the GCT has been fantastic for the sport.

"We are jumping now all over the world in fantastic places like Madrid, Shanghai, Miami Beach, Paris, London, Estoril - it is a very widespread series, and we are very fortunate to compete in it. It is benefiting everyone in the industry, with add-on effects everywhere, which is great for the sport."

Brash, though, is one half of a partnership, and he requires no second invitation to hail Sanctos, the wonder-horse bought for him just seven months before London 2012 by Lord and Lady Harris and Lord and Lady Kirkham.

"Sanctos is just a fantastically intelligent horse," Brash said. "He loves the sport, he loves jumping, he loves winning. He's just an incredible horse. I think he has got to be the best of all-time now.

"He has probably won the most prize money, his consistency is phenomenal and his strike-rate for the amount of times he jumps to the amount of times he wins has got to be the best a horse has ever had. He is just a great horse to work with.

"He has improved with age. He feels better now than when he was a 10-year-old. I had a very good feeling of the horse, but no-one could possibly stand there then in 2011 and say that the horse would go on to achieve what he has done. I don't think anyone would have known that. To do what he has done is quite remarkable.

"He is very laid-back. He knows he is the king of the stables, and when he goes in the ring he comes alive. He is just great to be around and a joy to have."

Former Great Britain team showjumping boss Rob Hoekstra once described Brash as someone "with ice in his veins" when assessing his ability to stay calm amid the acute pressure that accompanies top-level jumping.

And it is a trait that Brash will need to keep, particularly next year, when all things being equal he should arrive at the Rio Olympics as individual gold medal favourite.

"I do like the pressure - I think it brings the best out of me," he added. "We seem to perform better under pressure.

"Rio is definitely on the radar, but there is a lot of water to pass under the bridge before then. It's difficult in our sport, because so many things can happen and change in a short space of time.

"There are so many top shows on now, and there is never really a break. If your top horse is getting a break, you are looking at your next horse and your young horses, so there is always something to do. It is a very busy calendar now.

"You would be lying if you said it wasn't tiring. You are in a different country almost every week, and I think what a lot of people don't understand is what happens behind the scenes. So much work is involved in just getting the horses to each venue, getting them set up and getting their equipment there, then changing horses to go to the next event.

"It's very tough to stay there (at the top). It takes a lot of hard work and a lot of teamwork from everyone."

For more information on the Longines Global Champions Tour and how to make sure you are there to support him in his quest to win the Grand Prix visit www.globalchampionstour.com