On a cool January morning in 2006, assistant trainer Peter Brette led me down the shed row of Michael Matz’s barn at Palm Meadows Training Center (Fla.) and introduced me to every horse.

There were stakes-caliber mares, reliable allowance horses and unraced, unproven colts and fillies full of endless promise.

And then there was Barbaro—well, before he was the Barbaro we know and remember today.

With a horse show happening every weekend, and sometimes multiple major events taking place in locations around the country on the same day, the Chronicle reporters spend countless weekends on the road.

But regardless of how many horses we see winning championships and cantering down centerline, a few special moments always leave a lasting impression long after the story is written and the results are old news. As we head into the new year, here are a few of our favorite moments from 2014.

As Chronicle staffers covering competitions around the world, we take thousands of photos each year. Some of our favorite pictures are ones you might expect—riders winning major championships or smiling on a podium—but others make the list because they demonstrate a particularly strong bond between horse and rider.

One of the most common issues that continuously arises in eventing is the perceived gap between the lower level riders, who make up more than 90 percent of the U.S. Eventing Association, and the upper level riders.