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A long show jumping round can look deceptively simple from outside the arena. The course may only take a couple of minutes to complete, yet those minutes…

Eventing has a way of turning one competition into a long chain of small jobs. Before Archie and I ever enter the start box, I need to read the schedule,…

The coffin was supposed to be one of the straightforward fences on our cross-country route. It was built into a shallow dip, with an entrance, a few strides of…

The centerline is only a few metres wide, but it has a remarkable influence on the whole dressage test. When Archie and I enter at A, those first strides tell…

Before a jumping round, I check the usual things: girth tightness, bridle fastened, martingale adjusted, boots secure, and helmet done up. Then I reach for one…

A new cross-country venue can look completely different on a screen than it feels from the saddle. A bright course map may suggest an inviting round, while…

Archie has always been willing to work, but willingness and fitness are two different things. At the beginning of a competition season, he could produce an…

Some competition days begin with calm preparation and end with a tidy test sheet tucked into a folder. This was not one of those days. The forecast had…

Cross-country is exhilarating because every minute asks horse and rider to think, react, and keep moving forward. By the time Archie and I cross the finish…

Flying changes are one of those movements that can look almost effortless from the ground. The horse canter seems to glide across the arena, the rider makes a…