Gordon Elliott has revealed that he didn't show his face in his local village for months after a photo emerged of him sitting on a dead horse.
The Meath trainer is expected to have his first runners since his ban over the shocking image expired at Punchestown's flat meeting on Tuesday.
Elliott says he found it hard to cope with the reaction to the photo and the pain that he put his family, friends and staff through.
He told Racing TV: "You think your thick-skinned until you see something like this. To be honest, it was terrible. I've never experienced anything like it in my life.
"We got a week of obviously very bad social media, newspapers, television, on Twitter and everything else like it.
"For me, it was something I'd never experienced, wouldn't like to ever experience it again, but for my family it was unbelievable, for all the staff in the yard, for something very foolish I did, all the pain I put them through. It was something I'd never like to go through again.
"For my family, friends, all my staff, even all the people in my village in Summerhill, it was terrible. I probably didn't show my face in Summerhill for three or four months after it. It wasn't nice."
Elliott is now hoping to put the episode behind him as he prepares to return to racecourses this week.
He added: "It was something very stupid I did. I apologise to everyone for what I did, but it was my fault. The blame stops with me. As I said already, I apologise to everyone. All I want to do is put it behind me."
Elliott was banned for 12 months, with half of that sentence suspended, and ordered to pay costs of €15,000 with the IHRB stating the punishment reflected “the seriousness of the offence and the damage to the Irish racing industry” after the image provoked huge public outcry.
Denise Foster took temporary control of Elliott’s Cullentra base, enjoying a Grade One winner at the Cheltenham Festival with Mares’ Hurdle victor Black Tears while also saddling dual Grand National hero Tiger Roll as he bounced back to winning form with a wide-margin success in the cross country.
Elliott is now free to resume business at his yard and has five possibles at Punchestown on Tuesday.
Oh Purple Reign, who was a winner at Gowran for Foster on September 1, could be Elliott’s first runner back in the Donate To The Coast To The Curragh Cycle In Honour Of Pat Smullen Handicap, while Captain Middleton could contest the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Median Auction Maiden.
Both Alice Kitty and Royal Eagle have been entered in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Handicap, with Gift Of Kings his other contender of the day in the Irish Racing Working Together Handicap.
Elliott appears likely to have his first jumps runners back on track on Wednesday, having entered seven horses at Sligo.
He has a possible contender in each of the seven races on the card – although Chesterville and Silver Star both hold two optional engagements.
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