"The HOY Show is up there with the big internationals in Europe," says the 31-year-old while taking a two-hour drive from Wiltshire, where he is based, to the Aston Le Walls show.
He arrives in Hastings tomorrow, a day before his competition begins.
"For me it's another competition but in a beautiful part of the world," Paget says. "HOY is unique where it is."
Add to that his previous success and his third time at the show becomes understandable.
"I've had a couple of big wins there and have a soft spot for the place," says the Wellsford-born rider who clinched the "Eventer of the Year" titles in 2009-10.
"It'll be disappointing if I don't win it [Eventer of the Year] again."
It's a long way to travel to compete but it is something he feels he does not do enough of.
Paget will be riding on a horse, Henton After Dark, borrowed from Samantha Felton, of Cambridge.
"Catch rides", as he calls them, are often a bit of a lottery but, as betting goes, he loves the ensuing buzz from entering the realm of the unknown.
"I'm going to go there and not change anything. I don't even know what I'm dealing with," he says but emphasising Felton's mounts are well groomed and rider savvy.
Besides, catch rides tend to be educational as well as enticing him out of his comfort zone.
He had "read bits and pieces" on the controversy surrounding the departure of outgoing director of the HOY Show, Kevin Hansen, heading off to Australia after declining the offer to tender to continue here.
"I've had a good relationship with Kevin and he's a very good man at what he does but I'm not much into the politics," says the 2012 London Olympics bronze medallist who also became only the second rider to win the Badminton Horse Trails on debut astride Clifton Promise in 2013, after fellow New Zealander Sir Mark Todd.
He won the British Open two months later on Clifton Lush before conquering Burghley.
However, Paget's world turned upside down at the height of success when Clifton Promise tested positive for a banned substance, reserpine, found in supplements.
"The first part was just a shock, learning the horse had tested positive.
"I didn't believe it happened and then it was a case of how it happened."
Primarily Paget's party did some digging over 10 months to present its case that the contamination occurred during the manufacturing process and was beyond their realms of comprehension and control.
The FEI tribunal concurred and cleared him of any wrong doing almost a year later in London.
Riding an emotional roller coaster simply did not arise.
"We just dealt with it and it kept us busy. We were too busy building our case to have any mental scarring."
People in the industry knew he was paranoid about such matters even before it happened.
"Now I'm just paranoid," he says, emphasising there's only been two such cases, including his one, in the history of any sport to be exonerated.
He had done his due diligence with four previous tests and had been cleared accordingly.
"Yes, I'm paranoid but you expect it to happen and can't control it.
"You cross your 'Ts' and dot your 'Is' but it's a scary thought that everything I know doesn't mean it won't be a positive test again."
Clifton Promise and Clifton Lush remain his premier mounts although he has a dozen competitive horses from the elite level to "free novice" one.
While many riders opt for trained horses because it seems a quicker way to accomplish their goals, Paget prefers nurturing his own from the early phase.
"When you buy young you get where you want to be and you're not retraining," he says.
Organisers were expecting 1500 horses and close to 8000 people by last night.
