In the horse world there appear to be few mechanically-minded people. Returning from a drive, the horse is made comfortable, bridle and harness are cleaned, but more often than not, the vehicle is forgotten. This book offers the driver advice on cleaning and cosmetic maintenance, assisting owners in understanding the purpose, working principles and components of the vehicle to enable anyone to carry out mechanical servicing and essential pre-competition checks. The author discusses the choice of vehicles and their construction, test driving, spares and after-sales service, suspension, wheels and tyres, brakes, shafts and poles, instrumentation and surface finish. There is a chapter on emergencies, a list of winter jobs, and an invaluable appendix containing a list of competition vehicle makers and component suppliers.