Camilla Swift

Camilla Swift is Supplements Editor at The Spectator.

The Charlotte Dujardin whipping video is a disaster for equestrian sports

24 July 2024 10:40 pm

With just three days to go until the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, the equestrian world…

Was the London horse rampage avoidable?

25 April 2024 3:10 am

The sight of runaway military horses – one covered in blood – wasn’t what any Londoner expected to encounter on…

Scotland’s deer are proving deeply divisive

3 September 2022 9:00 am

On the face of it, a book about a woman stalking one red deer might not sound that exciting. Just…

Four difficult women who fought to preserve the English countryside

16 April 2022 9:00 am

One thing that Covid lockdown made us appreciate was the importance of being outdoors. When we were finally allowed into…

In defence of the grouse shooting exemption

17 September 2020 8:47 pm

At the tail end of last week, news emerged that no groups of more than six people were to be allowed…

Hare coursing gangs are terrorising the countryside

23 November 2019 9:00 am

If you’re driving at dawn or at dusk in the countryside at this time of year, you might well see…

Going to the dogs: ‘Pluto Aged 12’, 2000, by Lucian Freud

An exhibition about dogs, chosen by dogs: Dog Show reviewed

10 August 2019 9:00 am

Stepping into any art gallery, the last thing you expect to be greeted by is a cacophony of barking and…

Hang on to your hat – they’re making a comeback

8 June 2019 9:00 am

‘Thank goodness for racing,’ says Rachel Trevor-Morgan. She is a milliner — a hat maker — so it’s no surprise…

Racing on the frozen lake at St Moritz, Switzerland

If you’re planning to become a racehorse trainer, here’s how to do it

14 April 2018 9:00 am

With the Cheltenham Festival been and gone, all eyes are on Aintree and the Grand National. These courses feature in…

Heath

Why is the National Trust hounding hunters?

2 September 2017 9:00 am

For the sound of his horn brought me from my bed/ And the cry of his hounds which he oft…

Voting in? You have the blood of Spanish bulls on your hands

4 June 2016 9:00 am

Britain’s animals would be solidly for Leave. Here’s why

Rebuilding phase: shipping-container shopping in Christchurch

Aftershocks and polo ponies in Christchurch, New Zealand

12 March 2016 9:00 am

On my first night in Christchurch, I woke at 3.32 a.m. to what felt like an explosion. My bed was…

A whale of a time in the Faroes

2 January 2016 9:00 am

The Faroes are a wonderful place to visit, discovers Camilla Swift

Stetson-clad Phil Heard leads riders on the moor

The best way to explore Dartmoor? On horseback

28 November 2015 9:00 am

I’ll willingly admit that the moors of south-west England are not my natural territory. Mention the word ‘Dartmoor’ and my…

Dreaming of bringing your favourite pet back to life? Soon it could be reality

14 November 2015 9:00 am

The super-rich are already bringing beloved dogs and horses back to life. Soon the rest of us will be able to do it too

What happens when they’ve climbed the ladder?

The lessons of exam results season (and what to do about them)

29 August 2015 9:00 am

Every year without fail, as the trees start thinking about losing their leaves, the papers are full of the same…

First he brought limp salad, and now it’s drizzling

The pitfalls of picnics (and how to avoid them)

4 July 2015 9:00 am

Strange, isn’t it, that despite having such famously terrible weather, we Brits are so fond of a picnic. It’s something…

Ten years after the ban, why are there still hunt saboteurs?

14 March 2015 9:00 am

Ten years after the ban, why are there still hunt saboteurs?

Beauty and exhilaration: hunting in Norfolk

The sheer joy of hunting

17 January 2015 9:00 am

This time three years ago, I hadn’t jumped a single thing for almost ten years. This season, I am happily…

A police horse guards Buckingham Palace, 1937

The lost horses of London

4 October 2014 9:00 am

The days when horses and humans lived cheek by jowl in the capital are unarguably over. Brewers’ drays have disappeared,…

Sloane Rangers vs Arabs – the battle for Chelsea

12 July 2014 9:00 am

In Knightsbridge and Chelsea, tension simmers between Sloanes and super-rich Arabs

Seeing London afresh, one bridge at a time

5 July 2014 9:00 am

Bridges aren’t necessarily something you think of as being beautiful, particularly if you consider them primarily as the means to…

Norman Thelwell: much more than a one-trick pony

24 May 2014 9:00 am

‘The natural aids to horsemanship are the hands, the legs, the body and the voice.’ But a Thelwell pony sometimes…

Exploring the world of Jean Paul Gaultier

26 April 2014 9:00 am

‘London,’ says Jean Paul Gaultier, ‘was my vitamin. I love the freedom of London…The energy, the character, all the people…

Behind the scenes at Spitting Image

8 March 2014 9:00 am

If Margaret Thatcher is remembered by many more as a caricature than as her actual self, then blame Spitting Image.…