As an equestrian artist designer, I am either creating pieces inspired by the grace and power of horses or spending time out in a field with them! Some of this art work is at urbanfraggle.com (feel free to have a peek) but here is my story of how a grey mare was sent to teach me, that horses are not a right, they are a privilege. 

The Warmblood I didn’t even like...

I fancied myself as a graceful rider in dressage but the horse I already had was diagnosed lame, so I started the hunt for a new competition horse… a warmblood and so my journey to understanding horses, their bio-mechanics and nature began.

In for a shock….

I chose a grey warmblood, 4 years old, 16.1hh out of a Grade A showjumper Nelson Z. My ego got the better of me, Nancy was a stunner of good breeding and I decided she had potential and then I rode her! I got on her… her trot was sticky and uncomfortable, she reared… more than once. But, I ‘pushed’ her through it (because that is what you are meant to do, right?). Anyway, I got a canter out of her and my word, it was like riding a rocking horse! It was so up hill and smooth and comfortable. I was sold!

Together we started training but she seemed lazy and switched off. Not the idea of the competition horse I had in mind! I was disheartened. And then when I rode her, to my shock, I asked for trot, and with her head in the air, she bolted and threw me! This began happening every single time, and my confidence was starting to be knocked!

The Hunt for an Experienced Horse Trainers

I wanted to find someone who would help me ride her. A stage 4 eventer advised me to sell her as she was too dangerous. I certainly wasn’t giving up that easy! I don’t have the mind-set of passing on troubled or problem horses. Another instructor gasped at how beautiful yet mature Nancy looked. Perhaps this horse had been worked too often and too hard when too young? So, together with this instructor, I continued to ‘work through’ our problems… but nothing got any better. I pushed and pushed Nancy as I had all these expectations of her. And our relationship was not improving. Why would it? All this horse had experienced from people was brute force, side reins, draw reins, bits that cut and saddles that mark! I didn’t enjoy her. Every session was a fight!

I was told, time and time again, to sell her but I had to find another way.

Natural Horsemanship

Through researching Intelligent Horsemanship, I learned to read signs in the horse’s face of stress and discomfort that I would have missed before and all the while Nancy was getting even more aggressive. I had never in my life been fearful of horses, but this was one was pushing my boundaries. Could her Health be the Problem? Indeed, Nancy did have grade 4 ulcers and needed to recuperate in a field. I bought a shelter, fenced it all, and let both my horses be horses for a winter whilst Nancy recovered.

Summer arrived and still Nancy was difficult. Usual techniques which work well with the majority of horses were just not working on Nancy. She was just a little different!

What else?

And then I found Becky Holden. She was very highly recommended, a classical trainer with a good reputation with difficult horses. Becky trains horses from the ground up… everything they learn is from the ground so this helps both with their confidence and balance. (A whole new skill set for me). Things at last started to get easier! Nancy began to understand that bogging off was not a solution, and it didn’t make her life easier, it was made harder. So the sessions with her started to improve but there was never consistency.

The Domestic Horse

Horses were not evolved to graze paddocks full of grass, they evolved to graze on branches and leaves, ink herbs, with very little grass. Throw in the crap they add to commercial feeds (just like dog & cat food, and of course our food) and you have a recipe for disaster! It’s a fine balance for cells to function properly, and horses being flight animals, if their nervous system is compromised because they have too much potassium, or too much magnesium running through their bodies (or not enough) their flight instinct is heightened, making them dangerous! They also can become aggressive in the stable, even just being touched is uncomfortable for them. It’s been a long, frustrating journey getting to the bottom of Nancy’s behavioural issues and if it wasn’t for the help Becky, for both training and nutrition, I don’t know where we would have been. Horses are a science, not for the faint hearted and shouldn’t be entertained if you aren’t prepared to learn.

Problem is, most horses are submissive and put up with stuff, or resign to being bullied, thus people don’t have to get to the bottom of a horses behaviour. Nancy fortunately wasn’t that horse, she was sent to me to learn and grow.

Once we started to understand this, I was able to make the necessary changes to her diet, and voila… I now had a riding horse!

​​Nancy began to really enjoy her work, she was confident, non-spooky and a real pleasure to work with. In turn, my confidence was growing too. However, her unpredictability will not allow me to get on, so I stick with the in hand work. On the days that she is not ‘grass affected’

For all of the ongoing ups and downs of our relationship I love her to pieces. I believe Nancy was sent to me, to teach me a few things about good horsemanship. In fact, we did enter a little in-hand class competition, which we won. The judge stated how wonderful my horse’s trot was and we should do dressage… if only she knew our journey…ha ha

Joanne GG Barrett – to find out more or to purchase some of Joanne’s art go to: urbanfraggle.com