Travelling characters A light-hearted look at the people you often see behind the horsebox wheel

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JAMES set up his own yard this year, having spent the three seasons since he left school working for Bruce McLain, the veteran Antipodean rider. Working pupils last an average of 10 days with Bruce, who thinks that all young people these days are “soft” and have no commitment, so James is a pretty tough cookie to have lasted so long.

He has 10 horses and no groom, but his mum does come with him to events. She and James’ whippet sit in the cab and map-read — the ancient Bedford lorry with no living certainly doesn’t have satnav, or even a working cigarette lighter where one might plug one in. James drives, learns his dressage test, books the farrier, arranges a dressage lesson for 6am the following morning, talks to the vet about the new four-year-old’s lumpy fetlock and glugs down Red Bull.

His mum tactfully doesn’t mention the oil stain on his only pair of white breeches and makes sure she buys him a large burger and chips at the event before the drive home again. He doesn’t look like he has eaten for a week — but he does look happy.