eventing_kid
Active Member
This book is about the truth of horses and working with horses. Its not ment to be the feel good book of the year. This book is drawn from personal experiance as well as others. This is still only a draft and needs A LOT of playing with, its just a taste of whats going to be in it. Some other ideas are the choice i made of my horse over college and the way it has impacted my life and how so many young people make the same choice not knowing whats involved. So if you have any ideas please pm me and let me know. Thanks a lot
From the moment the idea of getting a horse pops into your head, till the day they die, horse addicts lives are totally consumed by there horses, and the lives of those around them.
When you are young, you go by the ruling of ignorance is bliss, still being your my self I still do. But when I first got my horse I somewhere along the line decided that what ever anyone who could ride better than me told me must be %100 correct, if only. Now days im quite the opposite, im %100 and everyone else is wrong, again, if only. I have always been quite an ignorant person, and horses seem to bring out the worst in me in that sense. Possibly because its the only thing im any good at, I dont know, and dont really fancy trying to psychoanalyse myself at the moment. I have always been interested in horses right from when I was very little. I wasnt brought up in a horsy household unlike most; it turned out to be a present for my 6th birthday. Later on when I was older I asked my mother and father what made you think of riding lessons, because you had everything else they said, not that I was spoilt or anything. Looking back on it now I think if my parents knew what they where letting themselves in for by taking me riding some thirteen years ago, they probably would have just got me that puppy I wanted. Like most, my interest in riding soon drew, I became a weekly at the local riding school, I then started staying back after and helping out around the yard, I was only six, but theres no age limit for a degree in [****] shovelling. I stayed put at that yard for a while, got my riding better started to learn a bit more about horses, learnt the meaning of the term slave labour. Back then I wasnt as extreme about it all as I am now, therefore my parents werent trying to payoff scientists to erase the word horse for there mind unlike now. I stayed on at the riding school for a few years, but found the winters a bit much for me at my age. For some reason I packed it in for a while, and like most other things I blamed it on unexpected arrival of my little brother. A few years went past and mum and dad split up. Brother went with mam (so not all bad) and I stayed with dad.
A few months down the line, dad stated that he was going to take up of all things flying lessons, some sort of youth rekindler probably. After that outburst I decided that I should take up my riding again. Everyone knows that its not just something you do for years and can forget about. So I started on the same route as prior to my stop. Lessons, helping out, but this time I was older, thirteen and was able to understand so much more and take so much more in. I really started to take a huge interest in that first summer holidays, were I was up everyday helping out and riding. People criticise yards for making grooms, working pupils, volunteers etc do all the work but in my opinion it is this that builds character in young people (I sound sixty) and build strength in them, anyone can ride a handful of horses that someone has tacked up for them, its something else to almost run a yard, because with out us grooms, all yards would just go to hell. Theres nothing quite likes having a ride with your friends on a hot day during the holidays then having lunch by a river to cool off. Horses some how bring people together, its something like when you meet people at yards you already have a conversation starter so the ice is already broken for you, hardest part done. Not being much of a people person I much rather talk to a horse any day.
When I started to notice riding outside of a riding school I started looking at other yards that I could help out at. My first real weekend job was working on a dressage yard (yippee), mucking out stables, grooming horses just the normal stuff, I was just so excited to be given the chance to work with horses. The best part was working on the weekends of the BD events. Twohundered names three arenas and one me, quite a bit of pressure for a thirteen year old. It is important that when you take on a role on a yard you dont over phase yourself, the person running the yard or event will understand if you need some help or something explaining to you, god knows I did like a million times over. Everyone must start somewhere and learn some how. Its unfair for people to think that everyone who works with horses should be able to ride like Pippa Funnell or be able to groom like Zanie Tanswell.
What do you think.
From the moment the idea of getting a horse pops into your head, till the day they die, horse addicts lives are totally consumed by there horses, and the lives of those around them.
When you are young, you go by the ruling of ignorance is bliss, still being your my self I still do. But when I first got my horse I somewhere along the line decided that what ever anyone who could ride better than me told me must be %100 correct, if only. Now days im quite the opposite, im %100 and everyone else is wrong, again, if only. I have always been quite an ignorant person, and horses seem to bring out the worst in me in that sense. Possibly because its the only thing im any good at, I dont know, and dont really fancy trying to psychoanalyse myself at the moment. I have always been interested in horses right from when I was very little. I wasnt brought up in a horsy household unlike most; it turned out to be a present for my 6th birthday. Later on when I was older I asked my mother and father what made you think of riding lessons, because you had everything else they said, not that I was spoilt or anything. Looking back on it now I think if my parents knew what they where letting themselves in for by taking me riding some thirteen years ago, they probably would have just got me that puppy I wanted. Like most, my interest in riding soon drew, I became a weekly at the local riding school, I then started staying back after and helping out around the yard, I was only six, but theres no age limit for a degree in [****] shovelling. I stayed put at that yard for a while, got my riding better started to learn a bit more about horses, learnt the meaning of the term slave labour. Back then I wasnt as extreme about it all as I am now, therefore my parents werent trying to payoff scientists to erase the word horse for there mind unlike now. I stayed on at the riding school for a few years, but found the winters a bit much for me at my age. For some reason I packed it in for a while, and like most other things I blamed it on unexpected arrival of my little brother. A few years went past and mum and dad split up. Brother went with mam (so not all bad) and I stayed with dad.
A few months down the line, dad stated that he was going to take up of all things flying lessons, some sort of youth rekindler probably. After that outburst I decided that I should take up my riding again. Everyone knows that its not just something you do for years and can forget about. So I started on the same route as prior to my stop. Lessons, helping out, but this time I was older, thirteen and was able to understand so much more and take so much more in. I really started to take a huge interest in that first summer holidays, were I was up everyday helping out and riding. People criticise yards for making grooms, working pupils, volunteers etc do all the work but in my opinion it is this that builds character in young people (I sound sixty) and build strength in them, anyone can ride a handful of horses that someone has tacked up for them, its something else to almost run a yard, because with out us grooms, all yards would just go to hell. Theres nothing quite likes having a ride with your friends on a hot day during the holidays then having lunch by a river to cool off. Horses some how bring people together, its something like when you meet people at yards you already have a conversation starter so the ice is already broken for you, hardest part done. Not being much of a people person I much rather talk to a horse any day.
When I started to notice riding outside of a riding school I started looking at other yards that I could help out at. My first real weekend job was working on a dressage yard (yippee), mucking out stables, grooming horses just the normal stuff, I was just so excited to be given the chance to work with horses. The best part was working on the weekends of the BD events. Twohundered names three arenas and one me, quite a bit of pressure for a thirteen year old. It is important that when you take on a role on a yard you dont over phase yourself, the person running the yard or event will understand if you need some help or something explaining to you, god knows I did like a million times over. Everyone must start somewhere and learn some how. Its unfair for people to think that everyone who works with horses should be able to ride like Pippa Funnell or be able to groom like Zanie Tanswell.
What do you think.
