I learned to ride when I was at school. We used to go off on a Saturday to Radnage House Riding School, run by Miss Pat Smallwood. I started at 10 years old and instantly loved it. I helped out on the yard with lots of sweeping and tack cleaning to gain extra lessons and the chance to ride the ponies bareback to the fields more than a mile away.
My parents were not horsey; my father was a mathematician. He told me: “I don’t mind if you follow your passion with horses, but you’ve got to get a proper education first.” He died when I was 15, so I felt I must. If he was alive, I might have fought the decision.
I got hooked on riding and competing and I did it all from the riding school around going to university – I just had amazing bits of luck, and eventually a ride at Badminton.
When you work in a riding school, you learn to understand the ponies, to work with them and know how they react. I’ve found that’s something that has always stayed with me. You ride all sorts at a riding school – and learn a lot from that.
Esta historia es de la edición June 29, 2023 de Horse & Hound.
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Esta historia es de la edición June 29, 2023 de Horse & Hound.
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