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with jobs around the yard and thought it would be nice to work with western horses. I also went to help Sam Magdaleno, riding some of his western show horses. One day I saw an advert for staff at a National Hunt racing yard. I applied and, after a trial, got a job as a stable lad. This involved riding and yard work and was a hard and steep learning curve. Riding a racehorse on the gallops was an experience I had always fancied and it certainly took me out of my comfort zone! The hours were long and the pay was poor. At times it felt like a test of my resolve and endurance, but it was a job with horses. After I had been at the racing yard for a while I was given the job of training some of the younger and more difficult horses, mainly because I was the only one who knew how to lunge! The more I worked on the ground with these challenging


Thoroughbreds, the more I learnt from them. I often spent all morning working with my troublesome charges.


My work continued but not without incident. One mare managed to badly break my arm and during recuperation I had time to reflect on what to do next in my horse career. The trainer I was working for announced his retirement and suggested that all his staff should start looking for new jobs. Another crossroads on my journey. I made contact with Oakridge Quarter Horses again and, after a short period, was offered a job helping Lee Rutter. I enjoyed


my time there and learnt a lot. However, the economic downturn began to kick in and redundancy from Oakridge followed. In the short term I went back to press photography while still training my own horses. I worked at the Guzelian Picture Agency as a picture editor for a while but when that job came to an end, fate dealt another horsey hoof! Western trainer David Gray, who I had worked with at clinics, became my friend and offered me a Quarter Horse mare to work with at home. It was just what I needed to put me back on the horse pathway. A friend then suggested I could help with some ‘difficult’ ponies. When they improved recommendations to other horse owners followed and more work came along. Soon I was busy working with all sorts, from children’s ponies to show horses, and giving riding lessons. I have to describe what I do as ‘natural horsemanship and western training’ as it explains what I do to everybody who may not otherwise understand. Really it is just good horsemanship, using the skills I have learnt from all the disciplines I have experienced.


I work to build confidence in horse and rider and then to expand the trust it brings. A lot of horses I see need to be ‘unlocked’ to get their energy flowing again in a positive way and to take some responsibility in their partnership with their rider.


I am still learning from every new horse I meet and have not yet finished my journey. I continue to develop my horsemanship skills and I find that when doing liberty work, riding without saddle or bridle, you discover the real trust between horse and human. So, be brave with your horsemanship, be inspired, start to trust your horse, travel your own journey and go where your heart takes you; the destination may be a surprise!


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