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HORSE Magazine



Am I an equine commitment phobe?

Friday 25 September 2009

One of the first lessons I learned in my early days of riding was how useful it is to ride a variety of different ponies.

Whether that was sincere advice, or simply a tactic to silence my pleas for a pony of my own – it worked for me.

From the kick-along plods to the chestnut mare who thinks she's a racehorse, I learned something different from all of them.

And the experience of dealing with so many little personality quirks definitely gave me the confidence to ride some pretty difficult horses later on.

Having recently taken on a gorgeous grey mare, I've been wondering how I'll adapt to being a 'one-horse-rider'.

Penny is well schooled, impeccably behaved when hacking out, and flies around a course.

So will that mean I'll begin to get complacent?

It's nice to know, for once, that my horse will jump practically any fence for the fun of it.

But that's not why we do it, is it?

Surely ironing out problems, coping when things don't go to plan, seeking out new challenges, and aiming to move up a level is all part and parcel of being a rider?

Perhaps I should change direction completely — after all, maybe my mare is destined to be the next big thing on the polocrosse scene, and how will I know if I don't give it a try?

It's hard to imagine Penny fly bucking across an open field like some of the monsters I've had the dubious pleasure of exercising in the past.

But even the most reliable of horses have their ways of keeping us on our toes, so I'm sure I won't get bored any time soon.

And one major perk of horse ownership is that hopefully Penny and I will develop the sort of strong bond that occurs between a horse and her rider.

As long as I keep in mind those lessons learned from countless ponies who dumped me face first in the mud, there should be plenty of challenges ahead for both of us.


Helen Catchpowle undertook a work experience placement at Horse