"The parade paddock was a morass of sloppy mud slapping and sucking as the horses were led around. I made my way to the start. The flag was raised - a pause - then down it came, and the field surged forward as one." Told from a seasoned perspective, Gallop records the allure of the equestrian world, the glory and disappointment of winning and losing, and illustrates personal experience of life changing injury to both horses and riders within the high risk sports of Eventing and horse racing. Amidst the exciting descriptions are pieces of hard-won advice for the thousands of Pony Club members who hope to emulate their famous role models. What were the regrets, the author asks, the life-enhancing achievements? How did she break into the world from a non-horsey background? With many detailed, personal accounts including The Countryside March in 2002 and the thrill of competing at Badminton in the beautiful park of the Duke of Beaufort's Gloucestershire estate, Gallop illustrates the magic, thrills, tears and hard lessons that horses and ponies give to us all.