I learnt to ride when I was 11 years old. I spent my 50p a week pocket money on hiring a pony from a local farmer for an hour every Saturday morning. I rode over there on my trusty bike, equipped with a riding hat my dad had found in a ditch, a new crop and the Ladybird “Learn to Ride” book (which I still have today). I handed over the cash, tacked up the pony and went out into the field. Every so often I would stop and get the book out of my pocket to work out what to do next.
Eventually the farmer retired and I went on to helping out at a local stables in return for rides. I ate, slept and dreamt “pony” and eventually, at 14 years old, my parents saw that this was no passing phase and bought me a pony of my own.
We had no experience. I wanted the first pony I saw as I was terrified that they would change their minds. “Copper” was the result – a 13.2hh Chestnut cob-type pony, nappy and lacking in “jump”. He was my pal for 2 years. I outgrew him and sold him to another young girl.
I then concentrated on school and exams…through ‘O’ levels, ‘A’ levels and University…gaining a First class Degree in Maths and a Masters in Operational Research (maths for business). I started work as a management consultant and worked hard to build my career…through this period equines were far from my mind.
At the age of 28, Graham, my long suffering partner, said “you’re boring, you need a hobby, why don’t you start riding again?” He bought me a hat and some riding lessons at a local riding school for my birthday. The inevitable happened. The old yearnings were rejuvenated. After a year I bought my first horse – a 7 year old Palomino part-bred Arab gelding with a hell of a jump called “Shantie”. I still have him today. He is enjoying his retirement.
I changed to part-time work in order to concentrate on my riding and competed at the weekends (mainly show-jumping). I took a career break and went to study BHS Stages at Moulton College. I studied to Stage 4 but failed my Stage 3 Riding. I started eventing and discovered I let myself down on the dressage.
I guess that’s where I started my quest to improve. I tried a succession of trainers, 2 new horses (one too small, the other too nasty), and BD Judge Training. I had glimpses of “great feelings” that were tantalising – but I never knew where they had come from or how to recreate them. I accepted these feelings as random. So random they stayed.
My strength is in analysing, learning and communicating – taking information from lots of sources; processing it; testing it; understanding connections; drawing conclusions and presenting them in ways which make things clearer. Ironically, I used this strength in my work but not in my riding or my home life.
In 2003 life became too much for me. I had a nervous breakdown. I left my career of twenty years and moved to France with Graham to start a long journey of self-discovery. For the first time I began to exercise the analytical skills I applied at work in my riding and my life. I started to really learn. About myself.
The riding process stopped being random. I started to understand what worked and why it worked. What didn’t work and why it didn’t work. I started to “know” riding. I wanted to share it with everyone. Partly so it could be discussed and partly to reinforce my own learning – to know that I know. I hope that you can see this and that this book can help you to make discoveries that work for you.
Shantie had an injury that meant I had to retire him from serious training, and I bought a lovely young horse, “Eric” a six year old pure-bred Lusitano gelding. We continue to learn and grow together here in this idyllic part of the world. This book marks the end of one chapter in my life and the beginning of a new one.