I am a University Graduate and studied Equine Science. I am now based in Hertfordshire and with a career in Digital Marketing and ecommerce. I have been around horses since I was young and have always really enjoyed their company. I have always had a love for horse racing and thoroughbreds and really believe they are the best type of horse. When I was younger I really considered becoming a jockey, however, even though I am not particularly tall at 5″7 I would struggle with the weight.
I have always been interested in natural horsemanship and since starting my degree I have started to get a greater understanding on the mechanics of the horse and how important correct management and training is to help health and prevent injury. I feel this has really helped how I approach working with horses as it gives me a better understanding on what a horse needs to perform better and how I can improve this, including potential risks and set backs. My degree has also helped me in analysing information from several sources (scientific, equine media, social media) and drawing my own conclusion on what I feel is best for me and my horse and what I should expect.
Although I have only ever had one horse of my own, I have lots of experience with different types of horses including; riding school ponies/horses, polo ponies, quirky thoroughbreds, stallions, broodmares, young stock and foals. I have been really lucky to experience so many different areas of the industry, especially since I come from a non horsey family.
Flatwork has never really been my forte. I have always been one for going fast and over jumps. However, since getting Scottie (Highland Rain) who needed a lot of work, I have really started to enjoy the processes to build him up. I have schooled on the flat, over poles and over jumps, lunged in gadgets such as the pessoa, long reined over poles and down the track and free schooled. Many of these are things I wouldn’t ordinarily be interested in. But not only do I enjoy them, they all help Scottie build the correct muscle and improve his way of going. I have also found that where he can be lazy, mixing it up a lot keeps him interested. Since Scottie’s injury, I have really developed a love of ground work. We have done so much long reining and in hand work and it has really opened my eyes to how useful and under used these things are!
Even now, I still live and breathe horses. If I’m not at the yard, I’m thinking about my next horsey goal, my next horsey day out or how I can get more horse time into my life. This is my dream and it is why I have been able to keep EquiPepper going so long without it ever feeling like hard work, even when I am drowning in admin. It has also allowed me to do things I never dreamed were possible, such as publishing my first book and now working on my first novel!
