Noble Beasts

The horse is a fascinating creature that serves us so well Having had a life long relationship with horses I am full of admiration for their endless toils. They are fiery yet mainly gentle giants and give hours of pleasure to their carers I worked first as a working pupil then in racing yards some flat but mainly jumping yards going on to having my own stables doing the show jumping circuit and some taming I prefer the term taming to breaking in it is all a matter of trust after all why break a spirit? When with love you get an unbreakable bond Using this method I was able to school a horse from wild to saddle in 2 to 3 weeks then the real fun begins as you start the real relationship of bringing it on I had two people who taught me so much when I was around 14 years old we used to go in school holidays to the new forest I told Maddie I wanted to become a show jumper Now I was tiny about 4 foot 3 high and she put me up on Yanta he was 17 hands and a cat jumper boy I had some spills over fences Maddie's response was to take away my saddle she said I needed to improve my seat and balance well after many more spills it started working and I became a burr on his back in total harmony Later at 18 I started my training as a working pupil training to be an instructor now Heather was a tough cookie with quality horses a formidable lady who took no excuses She used to get us in the indoor school taught us dressage and much more some days she would remove both saddle and bridle saying that a true rider steers with hands, knees and bodies You riders try it some time once you can back up a horse and do flying changes and shoulder ins and outs without any tackle then you are a rider at one with your horse in body and soul One of my pleasures has always been night riding the horse is a prey animal and prone to flight they get up on their toes and spook at shadows riding without a saddle means you can feel each muscle tense getting a sense of when they are ready to whirl and flee leaving the unwary rider on the ground eating dust. These two ladies shaped my life with horses giving me insight into them and their needs a sense of wonder and awe at their trust and their willingness to work with us Be they an Arab or thoroughbred or plain Jane each one teaches us so much as we interact there is nothing more heart warming than a horse nickering to you delighted you are there shaking and tossing their heads stamping the ground impatient for you to stroke and caress them giving you comfort when you are down and joy when you are up and excited Now no longer able to ride due to a bad hip I still share a close bond and delight when I call to horses in a field and they come at a charge to greet me it is the simple things that give the most pleasure