Me & Horses (the history)

I thought some background information might be called for *well it’s being given anyway*.

I started riding at 7+yrs & got my first pony for my 9^th birthday. My Dad also had a horse but embarrassingly was into country & western shows (yer dressing up as cowboys & indians) so I blame him for me being dressed like an Indian & entering competitions at the local embankment. Thankfully the make-up & outfit disguised me enough for anyone to spot me despite it being in the paper *school could have been hell*. Sherry /my darling pony hated all the fuss of painting her hind & face, not to mention being confined in a stable for said torture to happen! So in the end Dad let me give up & enter more girly friendly things like kiddie gymkhana (we avoid “Best turned out” though as she really hated all kinds of fuss, plaits, dressing up & so did I).  A couple of years later & circumstances change so Sherry is put on loan to a friend before being sold :’( 

Fast forward 13yrs (give or take)…. Riad is the next horse who was a shared horse with my best friend Heather. Riad was an ex Point-to-point who could be lively & wasn’t the smallest of chaps.  I didn’t have Riad for long as I became injured only a few months after getting him (from falling down some stairs) so Heather took him on alone since I couldn’t even muck out & had no chance of riding in at least 12 months (it took 5+ years to become pain free in the end).

I had longed for a horse & now lived at a house that had it's own stables so the need only grew. After 3 years of empty stables I decide it had to be now & after much trawling Heather finds an add for "A Big Bay Gentleman". We meet, I fall in love & so my dream becomes!

I had always thought horse knowledge (like riding a bike) never leaves you & I never gave a thought to “if I still knew enough”.

Almost as soon as Eastar arrived all the knowledge I thought I had was simply gone & it had also taken a shed load of confidence with it too!

Reality hits, it was 24yrs ago that I knew anything about horses & then I was just a wee kid doing it mostly at weekends... After that Heather carried me through/was at my side & we did things together. Now Hebs is hundreds of miles away & I'm all alone * HUGE wobble*

In those first few days I honestly thought I remembered nothing (in the scale of things I don’t really, but it's more than enough to get by) even the basics I thought would be cool, were odd at first. He seemed so big, so strong, so?? I don’t know... not scary as such.. above me/to much for me?? Not sure that’s what I mean, but best I can do at min.... Of course Eastar sensed this & acted accordingly /like any prey animal around an uncertain predator, if she's unsure I want the hell out of here PANIC!!

Thankfully as I did the day to day stuff I realised the horse care knowledge was still there & my confidence was slowly coming back too. Then Shelley (natural horsemanship instructor) came for a free visit & showed me so much in 3hrs that Eastar's & my relationship has simply blossomed from there on in. I became more empowered/ more wisely confident & Eastar became almost instantly settled (found a leader worth being lead by). We play with a few of the Parelli games but mostly just hang out, with the odd stolen ride down the drive. I do think both my confidence & Eastar's trust in me has grown enough for us to try a gentle hack out, so that's the plan this week.

What I really need is someone locally who's sympathetic to both my "greenness" & Eastar's "Nervousness" who can show me how to lunge (something I've never done) & generally give me some tips on riding etc. I do plan to carry on with the Parelli, but I also want to ride!