I have been around horses since a young age but didn't start to ride until I was 9 yrs old and was 11 when I got my first pony Flicka. Flicka wasn't an easy pony and I spent the best part of the first six months on the floor. Once a relationship had been established Flicka and I became quite a team. This is when I caught the competitive bug that was to remain until my own children took up competitive riding. When I went to join the army at the age of 17 what I really wanted to do was join the Kings Troop Royal Horse Artillery. Unfortunately the local recruiting office in Yorkshire where pushing for the regional regiment 4 /7 Royal Dragoon Guards which was a tank regiment based in Germany. I became a full crewman on tanks, but the draw of the regimental stables was too much and I ended up being a groom at the Rhine Army Polo Association (RAPPA), this led me to joining the Household Cavalry where I became a Military riding instructor. Whilst I was in the Household Cavalry I evented and show-jumped and was part of the Riding Staff, a team of instructors responsible for starting asnd training the young horses that came from Ireland every year to become part of the ceremonial team. While I was in the Household cavalry I met Monty Roberts who was ultimately responsible for me leaving the army and forging a career with horses outside of that military environment. Monty opened my eyes to see that there was more to horses than the traditional military ways, although, over time I also came to see that there was a lot of good in the traditional ways and I was to find a good balance between both traditional and natural horsemanship. I have three horses, Jo, Trigo (pronounced Treego) and Vogue and 4 ponies Jo is a 15yr old KWPN that was bred for dressage but couldn't cope with the pressures of training at a young age, I was so lucky that his owners contacted me and asked if I would like him as they felt he was unpredictable and had the potential to be dangerous, he was so committed to saying NO, he hated containment of any kind whether that was between hand and leg, between a fence and another horse passing him. He was 7 when he came to me, he wasn't easy but he is now a big pussy cat that eventually show jumped and BE evented, unfortunately no matter how well we did in the dressage or how many double clears we got in SJ phase and cross country he just couldn't get anywhere near the time. We did Brigstock Novice, which was a big track, we finished well and I was thrilled, the following week we went to Little Downham where he managed to fracture his fetlock joint warming up for the dressage, I was gutted, but we gave him a years box rest which wasn't that bad, it really helped that we have a busy yard and his box has a window that overlooks the manage, he came out of that as sound as a pound and is now working really well. Due to the ponies taking over so much of our time jo has now gone out on lone to Alice Ellison a young showjumper that has come off ponies, Jo is going really well and enjoying his new lease of life. Trigo is a 9 yr old Lusitano Stallion, he was sent to me as he was incredibly nervous, you couldn't get near him to pick up his feet, trying to get on him was a major drama, and if you tripped in his box he tried to climb the walls, but underneath that he was a really lovely person, with lots of time and work he really started to change, eventually his owner came to see him and basically said if I forgot the livery that was due and bought the saddle I could have him..............how do you say No, he has gone from strength to strength and now anyone can ride him and work with him, he is a pleasure to own and last year we graded him at the annual Lusso Show where he scored the highest out of the stallions presented that year. He has covered one mare a middleweight cob and the foal is stunning. Vogue, is a 7yr od KWPN that I bought two and half years ago, she has been my biggest challenge in a long time, but we eventually realised that her behaviour was ulcer induced and that she also needs to be on regumate, bless her she must have been in a right state. I showjump Vogue and she was doing really well until the ulcer and hormone problem kicked in, it took a year to work out there was a pattern to her behaviour. So now that she is on regumate and Gastro Care she is on top form and I am looking forward to her jumping this winter. Vogue is so well bred that I am hoping she will become William's first horse. The Ponys Trevor (Fernyknap Question mark) a 5 yr old New forest Pony, he is going to teach William a lot, he is a cracking pony, a bit wilful but that's fine I will work with that, but fearless, nothing puts him off a fence, William managed to qualify for the Bluechip winter novice championships in only a few outings on him. They are a novice pair that I think will do well. Rosie (Vava voom) another pony appropriately named, she is a 13yr old 138 that has been there and done it, but has turned a bit monkey............I got her very cheap, and as they say there is no such thing as a cheap horse/pony. If nothing else she has really taught William to ride, he has eaten dirt on a daily basis with Rosie. I have decided that enough is enough and that we need to get a more experienced rider on Rosie to get her back into the swing of things and get William a loan pony that would build his confidence. We don't want to part with Rosie as she is talented, very talented. A year on another pony I am hoping will make all the difference. Nibbs (Broomwell Stormgale) a 13yr old 128 pony that we have only had for a couple of weeks. She is a loan pony that we will have for a maximum of 2 years ( I think William may grow out of her before then though). She is a real school mistress and i am really excited about the year William is going to have on her. Little Miss Beaudacious a section A 11 yr old jumping pony, she is our newest edition and looks an exciting prospect, William will only have this year on her before he is too big for her, she will then be a fabulous 10 and under pony. There is a 4 pony, called Freaky, she doesn't belong to us, but we were offered her and didn't have the money so a friend/client bought her as a project. She is from Estonia and was a brood mare. The down side is that she is 148 so a little big for William at the moment so there is a local rider that is on her last year of pony's that is going to ride her. Freaky!! Why would you call a pony Freaky..........well apparently she jumps 1.60, the dealer that she came from said he'd never seen anything like it and they called her a freaky pony.