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I live in the UK about 1 hour's drive from London in a rural village called Langford. I drive to work which takes me about half an hour and my horse is stabled 5 mins from where I live at a local DIY yard.  A DIY livery means I look after Ev myself at facilities that are rented.  I go to the yard twice a day, once before work and once after. In the winter when it gets dark earlier I have a friend that brings him in for me in the evenings and then I finish him of when I get there.  In return I turn hers out in the morning. We have a outside m?age, horse walker, daily turnout and a x country course.

I guess the most popular breed in my area is thoroughbred X's as there are loads and cobs. Ev is a Dutch warmblood and I love the breed as it is so versatile and the Dutch warmbloods I have meet are all lovely. The tack I commonly use with EV is saddle, bridle , tendon boots, over reach boots, numnah, girth. I also long line him as well.

Growing Up with Horses

I was always fascinated in horses from the moment I could walk but I first started riding when I was about 8. I was introduced to riding through my best friend at the time and it just grew and grew from there. I learnt to ride at a local riding school and had lessons for about 5 years or more. My friend and I played horses all day at school, after school and all weekend we were obsessed! When I was about 14 I started helping a friend of my mum and dads with her three horses. One was called Poppy, a moody little 12hh strawberry roan mare and would buck you off if you asked her to do more than a walk. We had a tally in a book to see who came of the most! O'toole, a Irish grey gelding who was a sweetie I only fell of him once and that was only because he stumbled and I came of over his ears and Florence and 15hh chestnut mare who was a real sweetie who I loved riding and my dad rode sometimes when he came out with us.

After awhile O'toole went and we had Pepe another grey but smaller and he was only 5. We were teaching him to jump. The lady that owned them all though decided to move away and took them with her much to my disappointment. I then didn't have anything to ride for about 2 years, then my friend that had introduced me to riding got a horse on loan called Sonny Jim, he was a Arab x with a flaxen mane and a complete nutcase lol! I helped her exercise and look after him for about a year and then the owners decided to sell him and I was gutted!

I left school and went to college and did a Btec first diploma in horse care at Oakland's college for a year and then went on to start my nvq in horse care at a local hunting yard. I was there for 6 months working for rubbish pay and no training although I really enjoyed working there as I got to ride loads but I was getting no where so I asked to be moved to another yard. I was then sent to a riding school where I was also there for six months that was the same and I hardly ever got to ride there so I left. I then gave up on working with horses and got a full time job in a office and didn't ride for about 2 years.

When I was 21 I got some money for my birthday and trust fund. With that I brought my first horse Bert.

He was 2 when I got him and turned into the youngster from hell! I had him for two years and backed him, taught him to long line and stuff , however he had a split personality and was very domineering. When I got him I was told he would make 15/16hh but by the time he was 4 he was nearly 17hh and he knew it. As a last resort I took him to a stables to have him trained for me and after a few months there and a lot of heartache and help from the staff, we decided he wasn't the right horse for me.

This was the hardest decision I have ever had to make and it broke my heart he was a lovely horse but we weren't a good match and it was better for us to go separate ways, so I sold him.

The day I put Bert up for sale Ev's owner decided she had to sell him as she didn't have the time to look after him anymore. The lady that owned the yard (my friend) told me about him and asked me to have alook as she thought we would be perfect together.

Ev was 15 when I got him, I wasn't looking for an older horse or even considering one. My first impression of him wasn't the best... I looked over his stable door and he kicked the wall and put his ears back!  But I tried him out and he was ok although a bit of a plod. I decided I wouldn't make up my mind straight away and went a tried another one. I did like Ev though and decided to try him again but to hack out on my own, this time he wasn't a plod and I also had a napping argument with him. Strangely enough that's what made up my mind as he had a spark and something in me just clicked. So I bought him.

I have owned him for 2 1/2 years now and he has taught me so much.  We have had our ups and downs, I had to overcome his napping problem for a start, which we did.  We now compete regularly at show jumping and cross country and are doing very well. He has such a captivating personality and anyone that has anything to do with him instantly falls in love with him as he is so full of character.

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