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It took effort and wheedling and 35 years ( and that took
denial but that's another story) for horses to come into my
life. But now I will never be far from them. If humans were
as honest as horses, we could all be more trusting, less
suspicious, paranoid, defensive or insecure. Horses just
are.
The story of horses and me isn't as straight forward as you
might expect. After all, in most places if you desire to
ride there are fairly accessible opportunities for horse
hire or lessons. I live in Broome a town of then only
15,000. Remote in the extreme sense of the word, the nearest
town to the east being Derby (population 3000 or so) 200 kilometres away and Port Hedland to
the south 600 kms. At the time 5 years ago that I could no longer ignore the
driving urge to be around horses, there were no riding schools and no horse hire
business . I had no knowledge of horse, didn't know how to ride despite a
handful of lessons as a child and a few rather hairy hire experiences. I felt
frustrated but the urge was so strong that I grit my teeth and determined that I
would make this lifelong dream a reality.
As luck or serendipity would have it, that week I saw an ad in the local paper
for a new business "Kimberley Horse Treks" to be operated by a local horsewoman
Betty Rupe. I had hired Betty's horses a couple of times to join rides on Cable
Beach. She was also an artist who sold original paintings at our weekend
Courthouse markets. So begin a gradual process of begging Betty for help to
achieve my horse owning hope.
Unfortunately for Betty, her horse trek business
was never realized due to a hay shed fire which burned all of her tack which was
uninsured. She was coping with this when I first approached and her initial
reaction was "oh you'll just have to buy your own horse, there's no other way in
Broome." Well problem being there just weren't any spare horses to be had. A few
weeks and pleading conversations later, Betty offered that I could free-lease
her 14 year old Standardbred "Matthew"….I was there the next day, proceeded to a
crash course expertly delivered in bridling and saddling and went out on a bush
bash with Betty and her TB gelding "Sonny".
All went well and I took myself and
Matty out the next day and as often as I could over the next several months.
Good ol' dependable Matthew could have so easily taken advantage of my lack of
expertise as I gradually developed balance. To start with I'm sure I bounced all
over his poor back. He did try to convince me often that we really had gone far
enough and it was time to return to the paddock THIS WAY. He gave that up though
after the time that when we reached a point that he insisted was turn around I
just got off and we waited and waited and then rode forward. Riding through the
bush just a girl and her horse I felt alive and free, blowing the cobwebs away.
On a horse I feel that cares and concerns melt away, I am deeply content and
satisfied.
Well, four years have passed since then and Matthew is firmly retired on the 5
acre mango farm that was purchased after his paddock was closed. And yes horses
do love mangoes and he peels them adroitly by nodding vigorously and spits out
the stripped pip. Buzz is his faithful companion , purchased 2 years ago from
Perth some 2000 kms to the south, a big truck trip for a horse that one, but as
Australians will know, not an uncommon distance to truck the "right" horse. And
Buzz is that, not a particularly extraordinary equine, being a 13 yr old Quarter
horse/ TB X but he has been perfect for me. He is well schooled enough to
tolerate the arena laps and has managed the fine art of doing just enough….some
would call it lazy but actually I think its smart.
He's nervous and learnt to
mistrust humans but he has taught me so much and gradually we make improvements
on communication. I am learning to listen to him and to become more aware of how
subtle a horse is and how little and light the aids can be. He has a very
expressive face and head and makes me laugh out loud at times. When he is cranky
he lifts his nostrils in what can only be described as his piggy face; I find
that if I acknowledge his grumpiness with a "Yeah, yeah I know" or suchlike he
lets it go quite quickly. And they reckon women are prone to mood swings.
I have made some great friends through horses, the best of them display horsey
traits of kindness, honesty, simplicity, generosity, dependability and
cooperation. The bond of our shared passion for this magnificent animal runs
deeply.
I have worked as a physiotherapist since 1989. For the past 21 years I have
lived and breathed the musculoskeletal system, biomechanics, posture, exercises,
mobilization and massage. Yet, my own posture and strength were poor after 3
children when I started riding. I observed the horses natural beauty and grace
when it moves freely, unimpeded by a rider and it came to me that I owed it to
the horse to only add to his beauty when being ridden. I started getting
stronger and I feel that the use of a fitball to improve core stability was
fundamental to my improved balance and mobility when riding. Horses led me to a
better personal understanding than all those years at university and working
with humans.
I have recently gone a step further professionally by following my next stage of
the dream which is to bring my physiotherapy and admiration for the horse
together. Over the next 2 months I am studying madly and will then start taking
my first equine and canine clients, under veterinary referral. I hope these 2
fine professions increasingly work together in Australia. This is the start of
something profoundly exciting for me and I hope I never stop learning from our
great friend the horse.
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