??? 9 Things to do in Normandy ??? by Claire Owen Equestrian adventure awaits in Normandy, France's 'Home of the Horse', a perfect destination for equine enthusiasts.   ​​Here are our suggestions for 9 things to do in Normandy. Saddle Up Saddle up and discover the beauty of Normandy on horse back.  Here's a few rides that we've been on and can recommend:  Above: Beach Ride, Cabourg Les Ecuries De La Sablonniere   Above: Beach Ride, Equestrian Centre Blonville Su Mer   Take a longer ride in the countryside - we rode with Ecurie du Vièvre and&n ..read more

Standing Together for Safer Roads By Annabel Burn  ​​​​​ Standing Together for Safer Roads for our Horses & Riders - Epsom Downs Racecourse.  In a recent heartfelt post by dedicated racehorse rider & head groom Louisa Allen, we were given a sobering reminder of the challenges faced by horses and their riders on the road every day. This is a greater risk for flighty racehorses but the plea for drivers to respect horses on the roads is a call that should resonate with all of us, whether we're horse enthusiasts, racing enthusiasts or not. It's a plea for understanding, empathy ..read more

Operation Centaur's Majestic New Arrival by Claire Owen   Operation Centaur, based in Richmond Park and Hampton Court, London, keep the art of working with rare breed heavy horses alive, through estate conservation, heritage, community projects and equine therapy.   On 25th May 2023 at midday, Operation Centaur welcomed the newest member of the Shire herd; Hampton Court King Charles, in honour of His Majesty the King in his Coronation year.  Charles is a beautiful grey Shire and full brother to Hampton Court George, who was born ..read more

The Scurry of East Sussex   by Rachel Collins & Claire Owen 35 riders took part in The Scurry of East Sussex on Saturday 11th March, at the stunning South Downs location of Northease Farm, Lewes by kind permission of Mr & Mrs David Robinson.  This was leg 10 of the 17 leg GB Hunt Ride League.  It had been a rainy few days in the lead up to the event but ground conditions were perfect.  The course looked spectacular and was twisty-turny, with 33 obstacles over two and a half miles for the fast and furi ..read more

Surrey Equestrians Unite to pay respects to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II Surrey (and surrounding) equestrians joined together today,  Monday 19th September  2022, at The Four Horseshoes on Chobham Common to pay respects to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.   Equipassion UK was there to capture the atmosphere of the day.  As we approached the common and saw ponies with tiny riders smartly dressed in hacking jackets I struggled to hold myself together.  There was a fantastic turn out of more than 60 well groomed horses and ponies with riders dressed s ..read more

EVENT REPORT - OSBWKH Gymkhana by Abbie Hart    If the Olympic motto is ‘Higher, faster, stronger’ then I’m sure the Greek forefathers would have had mixed feelings about a shopping list that included melons, lurid charity shop outfits that would have swamped even the largest sumo wrestler and a tub of Vaseline. However, add six teams of confused people, a long rope, about a dozen insulted horses, a relatively flat field, some adult plastic underwear and a pack of maddened racing ‘terriers’ and you have an OSBWK Olympics. Hosting the games this year was the beautiful Twyford fa ..read more

Man Vs Horse  by Rebecca Stevens   Many people will say their best (or worse!) ideas come after a few drinks at the pub with friends. This is definitely the case with the Man Vs Horse Event in Llanwrtyd Wells.  Back in 1980, Gordon Green, landlord of the Neuadd Arms, was chatting over a few drinks with the local huntsman.  They had conflicting theories as to whether a man could beat a horse in a race across the varying local terrain.  Logic would of course dictate a horse would win, but then let’s factor in humans speed downhill and ability to endur ..read more

Straight from the Horse's Mouth: Collecting Equine Voices for Film by Annabel Burn Today, a teeny bit of Hollywood glamour came to our humble little yard in Epsom, Surrey.  Our horses were recorded going about their daily lives to provide film sound effects for a new Universal Studios production coming out later this year.  Three of our horses, Flynn, Max and Melly, were mic'd up with super sensitive devices gaffer taped onto their fly masks, so the unique sounds of each individual horse could be collected.  Melly is a particularly chatty horse with a huge range of differe ..read more

Plough Sunday The Royal Military Chapel, London.   Plough Sunday is a traditional English celebration at the beginning of the agricultural year.  The plough (sometimes a tractor) is bought to the Church for "Blessing of the plough".   Operation Centaur took Shire Horse; Heath to The Royal Military Chapel (Guard's Chapel) at Wellington Barracks, London. Sunday best - Heath turned out beautifully. Checking in at the guard house Heath, Tom and Lizzie at the foot of the Chapel stairs before the blessing. The blessing was read from the stairs of the Chapel: B ..read more

100 Moments from All The Queen's Horses at London's New Year's Day Parade   Just over 10 years ago in autumn 2011, I received a phone call from Caroline Marsh (whom I was yet to meet).  We spoke for well over an hour about her vision; All The Queen's Horses at the London New Years Day Parade.  Did I think she was slightly crazy?  Indeed I did but she inspired me and I was 100% on board as a photographer on the team!  Fast forward to New Years Day 2012 and we were in London with a huge team of horses about to parade through flag waving, bustling crowds alongside marchin ..read more