About upbeatequestrian

Yes, the above pictures show me as I am now. But how did I start?

I was born in 1967 in inner London with not much chance of riding. We were not wealthy, and at first my only contact with horses was when we walked in the park and there were pony rides. One day, aged 18 months, I was lifted onto a pony for a photo, my first time ever. My mum tells me that most of the other younger toddlers were screaming to get OFF the pony, whereas I sat up straight and confident, and screamed like mad to stay ON when it was time to be lifted off. Hmmm, I have a photo somewhere of that momentous occasion, watch this space, I will dig it out! Here it is........  

From that day on mum had to take a long detour around the park as whenever I saw the ponies I would scream to get on, and we did not often have the money for such frivolities at that time. The next time I had contact with horses was aged 3, at the Clapham Common Horse Fair and Show. I gave my mum the slip, and was found at the front leg of a HUGE dray Shire Horse, giving it a full weight hug around its knee, both arms locked around the mighty beast.

Of course, I don’t remember either occasion, the first time I remember horses in my life was at a Pony Trekking holiday I went on with mum. Apparently  we only did two days, and the fact that we were both total novices but they still had us cantering in the open scared mum that much that she would not let us ride again. I remember the canter, it was scary but also exhilarating, and also I remember crying my eyes out that we couldn’t ride any more. I also remember the smell of horse, it was intoxicating. And the grease on my hands. Black grease from stroking the horses. My first real time with horses.

Mum had a job move, we moved to Yorkshire when I was 9 years old. With the move, which was traumatic enough for a young girl, came the promise of riding lessons, it was a sweetener to me to uproot. Once a week I had a group lesson, sit up, heels down. I was schooled in diagonals, the correct leg at canter, we even started jumping, and rode out one following the other. I LONGED for a pony! I requested money for each Christmas and Birthday, and saved it all. I dreamed horses, I devised jumping courses, stable plans, feeding regimes, I got myself a whole grooming kit piece by piece.

About this time I remember going to Chatsworth Horse Trials with mum to watch. I was entranced by the big beautiful brave horses. I remember bugging the life out of one of the mounted stewards as I watched, and very quickly I decided that this is what I wanted to do. The steward sent me to the BHS stand (as it was the BHS who organised Horse Trials in those days). I explained that I had decided I wanted to event, and wanted to know how to do it. She asked if I had a pony ?- NO. Could I ride?- well, I have learned rising trot. Did my parents have a lot of money?-No, there is only my mother, and she says she doesn’t have a lot of money. The lady advised me that she didn’t think I could event. I wish I could meet her now, as she has taught me the lesson that you can’t cap someone’s ambitions just because you could not personally succeed under those circumstances, or can’t see an immediate answer. I was HUGELY disappointed at the time.

My mum’s big mistake was telling me that I couldn’t have a pony as it would cost as much as a car. Then one day she got a promotion and she got.......a company car!!! She buckled under the pressure, and I think it helped that we knew of a pony for sale that we thought would be just the ticket. And so arrived Prophet, 14.2hh, grey gelding.

Mum, not being horsey, didn’t realise I don’t think what a big change this would be to me from riding a riding school pony under constant supervision. I soon found that Prophet was not like the ponies that I had ridden, it seemed that he would either walk or gallop, not much in-between. Now aged 14 I was scared by a few near misses, one day even galloping out of control and jumping a wall onto the main A57. I did not dare to tell mum the true extent of my problems in case she sold the pony, but I did beg for more lessons.

We came to an agreement. The year-end exams were coming up at school, and for every class I came top in I could have a lesson, for every class I was second in I could have half a lesson, third, one third of a lesson,  etc etc. There were thirty people in my class, and about 8 lesson exams, mum was a good negotiator as I was NOT a top student. But, I was fighting for survival here, if only she knew it, and I worked my SOCKS off.

That year I got two firsts, a second, a third and a couple of other smaller “placings” and I earned three lessons. When I went to the riding school for the first of those the instructor asked to see a trot and I explained that we could not do that. She insisted I try, so I asked, and soon we were around that school at a flat out gallop, and it only came to an end when Prophet finally went SO FAST around the school that we fell down, a full on sideways slew. We had a long chat, and tried again, to another fall. There were tears. I had SO WANTED a pony, and this one was just too much. I could not sell him, I loved him too much.

There was a happy outcome, the instructor provided a change of equipment, and within the three lessons we were more on an even keel. Prophet was never a dope, but we jumped, and did cross country, rode out and did what teenagers and ponies should do. We had FUN! Prophet eventually succumbed to a bone spavin, and he stayed with us or on loan in light work until he was eventually put down, at an age the vet says was well the wrong side of thirty.

I was not supposed to have another horse, but while Prophet was resting with his spavin mum noticed that I was losing weight. At 5’7” I guess that just under 8 stone was a little light. She was worried about teenage angst and eating disorders, but when she asked me she found that the vet had told me that when Prophet came back into work he would need a lightweight rider of 7 ½ stone or less. It was obvious to me that I needed to be that weight, and I was well on the way there. We came to an agreement, if I would start to eat and put weight back on then Prophet could go out on loan and I could have a horse.

I had a few horses, but my best early horse experiences came from riding for a dealer. I had just one horse and she had LOADS! So, I rode my horse, then four or five of hers.  These were young horses just over from Ireland, and I got to have free lessons from the lady, who was also an eventer. This re-sparked up an interest in eventing. As well as the dealer horses eventually I rode her three eventers too, and loved it. Just as she was taking me seriously to train me to event her circumstances changed and the yard closed.

This was the time I left school, I knew I would not get very good scores for my A levels, so I took myself off for the summer and took my BHS AI. I knew then that I had a way of earning money, doing what I loved to do. I ran a lot of part time jobs together so I could ride, we did some BSJA jumping and even won a newcomers. We did Team Chasing and got round an open. We also did local dressage, and I thought we could possibly event, but at that time Pre-Novice was the lowest class, and that was higher than it is now, and without much money, or even knowing anyone who did it, it seemed a distant goal. I eventually got a well paid job, and planned to start to look at how to get there.

The plan was delayed as I settled in my new job, bought my own house, and in fact met my husband to be. Then, I was injured at work, I could no longer even lift a tin of beans over my head much less a saddle, so my horse was sold, and I did nearly 5 years, by necessity, without riding. It was survival time, to keep my job and fight back to fitness. When I took up riding again it was as part of a large organisation, producing young horses and training riders. I felt a little stale so decided to train for my BHS II. For the jumping training I turned up at a showjumper’s yard and asked to ride. This was fantastic, I was again riding young and problem horses, as well as grade A showjumpers, had fun and learned LOADS! The exam was a success.

The injury still was evident, but it has in fact been the biggest blessing. Before my break from horses I could use strength and bravado to overcome problems, but with a considerably weaker neck, shoulder and back I had to find another way. My horses became lighter and more responsive. It was food for thought.

With added confidence, and earning a decent wage of my own, still with mum’s and now my husband's help and encouragement, I decided to go eventing. No ifs or buts, I was going to do it come what may, aged 30-something I bought George. He had done some Pre-Novice so he obviously knew his job, and I had a few lessons (three I think) then just entered. The first one was a big thing, I still did not know anyone who did this, on the day I was a little lost but it was FANTASTIC! I had George for 2 years, he took me round my first Novice, and we never once faulted cross country!

I have now had 4 eventers over the past 12 years, two of whom are still with me now. It has been every bit as fantastic as I thought. I have taken lessons and training much more seriously, and have been fortunate enough to compete at Chatsworth, the place where it all started. After that we had a ball, and completed at two CCI* International three day events, and we also competed at intermediate.  I had a series of press articles about this 30-something qualifying and living her dream. The biggest pleasure I realised though, for me, was in understanding my horses better. To this end I have also been learning with people who may be labelled more “Natural” horse trainers (although this is not how they “label” themselves!), both in England and America. I have found that often it is the horses teaching me, not the other way around!

In 1998 we bought our own stables, house, barn etc. so we could have the horses at home. I did not teach at home until a few years ago. I have since found that teaching is the biggest way to learn, and helping people understand and progress is more pleasurable than I could have imagined. My teaching inspires my riding, and my riding inspires my teaching, my students inspire me, and having lessons myself inspires all three. Life has become a busy balancing act, even my husband has learned to ride, and is now a horseman in his own right. In fact my mother also does daily horse chores. It is a busy lifestyle but it is one that I would not choose to change.