When everything around you is crazy, it is ingenious to stay calm.

Wise words from contemporary Turkish playwright and novelist, Mehmet Murat ildan

Yesterday, on our wet and windy ride on Ashdown Forest, Alfie stumbled when we were going down a steep slope. All muddy and slippery, it was.

Same horse, same ride, different day!

 He went right down on his front quarters, toppled most of the way over on his left side... then somehow stuck his front legs out straight...and recovered his balance. All the time with me on his back.

I remember Serena, my companion, screaming and shouting out. Afterwards, when we'd checked Alfie's legs to make sure he wasn't injured, (he wasn't, mercifully) she asked, 'How did you DO that? You were completely silent. There must have been a guardian angel watching over you.'

I tried to think what I had done. The best I could come up with was... Nothing - except going with him. Not unblancing him anymore by lurching forwards or backwards in an effort to preserve myself. 

I can't claim ANY credit for it, can't claim it was ingenious when everything around me was crazy, because it was completely instinctive.

Those are the best moments in my life - absolute oneness with horses.