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Taylor Made PA Riding Again

The Tales and Travels of Taylor Made PA – PA and Ponies 

 

First Published 13 August 2019

 

Hello!

 

So as I settled into my new career as a Personal Assistant, where I found the organisational and administrative skills that I had developed over the previous 20 years working as a Travel Agent and Business Development Manager, were helping me excel as a PA. 

 

Rediscovering my passion for ponies!  

 I hadn’t ridden much if at all in the previous 10 years, having lost my confidence after a fall in the Summer of  1999.  But In 2009 I made the decision that I wanted to ride again. I still had no confidence and I wasn’t looking to hack out and bomb around the countryside. I just wanted to be back in the saddle and rebuild my skills as well as my confidence. 

 

My very own Superstar!

So I started having a few private lessons at a Riding School locally. Then by chance a small 12.2hh Strawberry Roan pony called Scampie came into my life. He was a rescue pony brought in on “Foster Care” as a companion to my cousins foal who was ready to be weaned, but he needed re-backing and I was deemed small enough to do it. He’d clearly been backed and ridden in the past but not for at least 3 years. He was to become my very own Superstar Pony and I loved him! 

 

Getting back out there!

He was keen to learn and incredibly cheeky. But he loved re-exploring the big wide world as much as I love rediscovering hacking out with him! At 12.2hh I wasn’t worried or scared about falling off and he gave me confidence and I him to hack out, alongside my cousin and her big mare, of whom he was slightly terrified of! We galloped around the Oxfordshire countryside trying to keep up with the larger horses stride, with that complete freedom in the saddle I didn’t think I’d ever experience again. It was blissful. Even the days when we ended up sheltering in a rain storm under a tree after getting caught out by the weather! 

 But all good things come to an end. After 3 years it came to a sad end when the new Manager of the Rescue Centre sold him on to a new family and a little girl who wanted a pony of her own. 

 

What next?

This left me in a dilemma. I was now comfortable riding small ponies but still not horses and most Riding Schools wouldn’t let me ride small ponies. Then I came across The Power of Feeling Confident: A book for horse riders by Faye Low.  It made me look at things differently. I followed her group on Facebook and then attended one of her Confidence Courses based on the book. It helped change my way of thinking. By no means was I back to where I was prior to the Summer of 1999 but I would comfortably get on a horse and have a lesson and it also allowed me to have a slow hack out in my local woods. There was definite progress.  I’m not sure I’ll ever get back to where I was but I could at least ride a horse again. 

 

And now?

At the moment I am a happy but slow hacker but need to get some lessons sorted again soon. I’d love to get myself ready to do some Dressage Tests eventually. Probably veteran classes by the time I am ready! 

 

Equestrian Business

I regularly volunteer with The Horse Trust and Wellington Riding but I still wanted to do more so this year I also have launched Taylor Made Equestrian Business Services. Giving Equestrians and Equestrian Business Owners a Taylor Made PA solution exclusively for them from a fellow Equestrian.

 

Until next time…

 

Jules