It had been 20 years since I last rode a horse. In that time apart from short uncomfortable rides on elephants and camels I had never considered letting a quadruped take the strain. They say you never forget how to ride a bicycle but anyone seeing me on one of my infrequent attempts might be forced to reconsider. Is riding a horse the same? Could I still ride? My skills were about to be put to the test on a four day ride out of Songpan in the wilds of northern Sichuan.

Unfortunately I don’t have a digital version of this article.