Two dressage figures team up to write a novel

British dressage team chef d’equipe Major Richard Waygood (pictured) and judge Bridget Beresford-Wright may have a book out over the festive period, but you’d be wrong if you thought it was about the intricacies of classical dressage.

Richard and Bridget have teamed up to write Home By Christmas, a novel set on the battlefields of the Great War.

The self-published book tells the story of a fictitious cavalry unit lost behind enemy lines in Northern France.

The book, which was inspired by a visit to the play War Horse, has been a combined effort, said Bridget. She wrote chapters and sent them to Richard, a former cavalry officer, for his comments.

“His input has been invaluable — things like the soldiers not saluting officers in the field as it would tip off snipers, the way they hold their swords when they charge and the commands they use,” said Bridget.

A sequel, set during the East African campaign during the same war, is already under way.

Home By Christmas is available for £4.66 as an ebook from www.amazon.co.uk

This news story was first published in the current issue of H&H (4 January 2012)

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