I have loved horses from a very early age and although I came from a completely non-horsey family being with horses and riding was all I ever wanted to do!
My first experiences of riding were as a tiny tot on donkeys on Hampstead Heath whenever we visited my grandparents I would beg my parents to take me on the donkeys!
This progressed to having lessons at a local stables from the age of 6 and I was soon spending all weekend every weekend helping out in return for free rides!
I then moved riding stables and from the age of 14 started part loaning horses the first being a 16.2hh IDxTB called Teddy who was so gentle and taught me a huge amount. My next loan horse was Remy a 4yr old recently broken Welsh x TB with a huge jump and an equally huge attitude, I ended up with him as no one else would ride him! This is the horse that taught me to really ride, he was so tricky and quick, I hit the dirt so many times but I loved him and he was very talented. Looking back now I wouldn't be surprised if he behaviour wasn't pain related but at the time his owner and the yard manager both just said he was being naughty and to not let him get away with it!
I started working with horses properly at the age of 16 and spent 2 years grooming and teaching at a Dressage yard and riding school gaining BHS Stage 1 and Riding and Road Safety certificates before enrolling on a BTEC National diploma in Breeding and Stud management at Hartpury College. This was a great learning curve working with the world famous Welton event stallions. I also got my BHS stage 2 and an NVQ in horse management. I left college with the intention of making horses my life and worked on a couple of racing studs before my student debts caught up with me and I ended up getting a "proper" job to try to clear them. I've been stuck behind a desk ever since!
I got myself an other loan horse and horses became a hobby rather than a career. Luke was a great horse despite have bad arthritis in one of his knees. We were only able to do dressage because of his knee but we qualified for and got placed at the Novice national finals. When he had to retire I was lucky enough to be loaned a lovely big 17hh Dutch warmblood called Oliver. He had been a show jumper before being imported to England and I started loaning him when he was 13, he was very talented and well trained sadly, shortly after moving him to my current yard close to home, he became lame and after extensive investigations he was found to have severe navicular so had to be retired. I started having some lessons while I was between horses and luckily for me the local riding school was owned and run by an eventer and BE accredited coach who had some fantastic horses. She had brought Jack as a 3yr old for her daughter to bring on but she wasn't keen on him and I was offered him on part loan for a year and then given first refusal when the riding school closed. In that year we had achieved loads, I'd hunted for the first time, done xc for the first time in 20years, won WH champion at a local show and Dressage champion at 2 and even won a mini ODE so when I was given the chance to buy him I didn't hesitate. 6 years later sadly we have not emulated this promising start for several reasons the most significant of which is Jack being diagnosed with Kissing spine which is why I set up this blog to record our progress and share information and hope to others going through similar.
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