It was tousle-haired teenager I met at a party in the Cotswolds who would turn into “one of the world’s greatest ever equestrians.” You read book “blur” sometimes and wonder whether it’s hype or fact. With Carl Hester it’s fact. It was a few weeks after that fateful party that I saw him on a horse – when I did, I realised I’d never seen anyone look more natural. He broke his leg a few days later ruling him out of the Young Rider European Championships. That was years ago of course and the story I’ve helped Carl tell now is one of inspiration and dedication to horses.

We decided when we embarked on this project that it would be the real story, not an anodyne chronological “what, when, where.” Even knowing Carl over all these years some of the things he talks about were revelatory: the effect of certain incidents, and the feelings those events elicited. Martin Clunes, the actor, TV personality and President of the British Horse Society said he was “shocked” to be asked to write the foreword. But on reading the story he said he realised it was an inspiration not only to top riders worldwide but to all riders because it’s a story about the love of horses.

When talks started about the possibility of Carl doing an autobiography I was in the middle of law post-grad. It was kind of boring anyway, so when Carl said he’d do it, if I’d do it, we thought we’d go for it. It has been an amazing journey, just like Carl’s.

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