What even is , anyway?

thp is, at its heart, the brainchild and the culmination of nearly a decade spent on the road, covering the world's foremost equestrian competitions for a variety of global publications.

We found that whenever we'd return from another trip away, be it road-tripping through the vineyards of the Alsace en route to a championship in Avenches, or propping up canal-side bars in BeNeLux after a busy week at Aachen, we'd have the same conversations with so many people.

"I'd love to get to [insert literally any competition here – honestly, any of them, including, for some reason, Burnham Market] one day," they'd say, "but every time I think about actually doing it, the logistics of organising it feel way too stressful, and I give up."

The issues? A lack of cohesive, sensible, easy-to-find advice on how to get there, where to stay, and how to ensure you've got the tickets that actually get you a seat in the grandstand and don't just leave you hovering on the margins, trying to peer between a gap in the fencing to see a bit of the action before you're hustled along by a security guard. Will you be able to navigate the city easily on foot? Is a level one Duolingo understanding of the language required, will you be able to get by on English, or do you need to do some serious swotting up to feel comfortable when you're there? Is this hire-a-car-or-you-won't-see-anything territory, and if so, what do you need to know about the rules of the road? (Hot tip: if you're heading to a competition in the foothills outside Rome, just know that everyone walks in the roads and people WILL stop on a roundabout for a chat, with no warning whatsoever.) And, of course, what are the must-sees, and more importantly, must-eats when you get there? After all, a lot of these trips will be major bucket-list moments, and if you might not return to a place you've spent so long daydreaming about, you really want to feel as though you've made the best of it.

And so, with all that in mind, the idea for thp was born in the busy 2019 season – a season that was packed to the gills with European Championships, competitions all around the world, and Tokyo Olympics prep. A season that, crucially, didn't realise it was the last of its kind. A season that preceded a stowing of suitcases and a putting-away of passports. When the idea was hatched then, the idea was a simple one: let's compile everything we've learned about the practicalities of travelling the world in pursuit of horses, and create in-depth travel guides that readers can use to make it happen.

But then, when our worlds became suddenly smaller, we wanted more. We wanted thp to help people travel the world even if they can't. We wanted it to become a portal for escapism, a celebration of how horses intermingle with life and culture in all the corners of the world. We want you to head to us when you want to find yourself in sunny Siena, unpacking the lore of your chosen contrada as the medieval Palio race kicks into action. We want you to use us to vicariously follow the wildebeest migration in Kenya from horseback. We want to take you with us to the Paris Olympics, to the great stadium of the Kentucky Horse Park, to the thick, delirious sun of the CHI Al Shaqab. We want to discuss our favourite books with you, and go beyond the canvas to share the stories behind some of the most fascinating pieces of equestrian art. We want you to join us in conversation with fascinating people from all walks of life.

In short, we're going on an adventure – and we want you to come with us, wherever it takes us.

Grab your passport and jump in the front seat. It's time to ride.

Lots of love,