The start of it all.

It was my beautiful dog, Patsy’s birthday this week turning a big 5 (which is apparently the equivalent of 40 years, making us both the same age - nyaww). It had me being all nostalgic and thinking back over all our adventures and where life has led us. Obviously Patsy had zero say in having horses in her life, but unlike her I wasn’t born into a horsey family.

My sister and I were horse mad from a young age, cantering around (on-foot) the backyard, making jumps and pretty much “hobby-horsing”, before it was a thing (if you haven’t heard of it, be warned, it is a very serious sport now and they have championships all over the world…). We went to a riding school weekly, got our pony club certificates and convinced our parents that we could definitely have our own.

Smartly, our parents decided to lease a horse first through a riding centre. With their help we landed an old, underweight, rainscald ridden and leech bitten horse to take on. Probably not so smart.

Glen was a 15.3hh, 21yo arab x standardbred gelding. Red bay with a star and two socks. He had been around, seen many things and learnt much more in the process. Glen was as tough as they come, and he promptly picked up condition, grew all his coat back and the sparkle in his eyes returned.

We learnt the real basics of horse ownership with Glen… vet bills, horses having an opinion (especially older ones), saddle fitting, feed, more vet bills and most importantly how smart arabs are and how stubborn standardbreds are.

Glen was a real character. He was mostly very un-enthused about riding and would flop his bottom lip and ears like a goofball, making sure we were absolutely certain in our riding plans for the day. While kind, he had a cheeky side and regularly used it to his advantage. If we were jumping, or trail riding, or if he was just feeling fresh, his ears would prick forward (also a lesson every horse rider learns… pricked forward ears = “oh no”) and you knew you were not in for a relaxing ride. Even into his mid-twenties, he’d have his fresh days and would shy and bolt at whatever he thought might make a reasonable excuse… shadows and boogey men.

My sister and I convinced our parents to build stables and paddocks at home, and with that Glen (and our second horse, Shorty) moved in. Moving from the social stables to having horses at home was an initial adjustment, but very quickly we were able to witness their personalities on a more personal level.

As my sister and I moved onto other horses, Glen was ridden every now and again by our mum. Learning all the riding basics like eyes up and heels down (mostly so you could keep an eye on his ears and hang on when he shied).

Shorty and Glen (double dinking)

Living with them at our back door we could see the way they interacted with each other, their routines, their foibles. Who they were. And they became part of the family. On weekends Glen used to park himself under the verandah, and watch the tv through the window. We had to make sure all the doors were closed, because on a couple of occasions, he let himself inside the house and we had to figure out how to turn him around and get him out safely without spooking him or hitting a fan or wall or door! He (and Shorty) also loved all the treats that came with home life. Especially when my dad specifically bought packets of finger buns to watch them be inhaled.

Glen lived to the age of 30 and was the top of the herd until the day he died. I have so many amazing memories of him that still make me smile and giggle. He really was the start of it all and my affinity with arabs.

I started photography after Glen, but below are some arabs and partbreds for your viewing pleasure.

Meet Charlotte

I’ve been thinking what to write next and trying to let go of the anxiety to be creative again, and then yesterday I saw something that made me mad. Mad and sad. It was (another) post about someone having to put their loved thoroughbred to rest.

This beautiful OTTB (Off The Track Thoroughbred), also known as an ex-racehorse, a loved family member and therapy horse was put to rest ‘in his prime years’ after racing from the age of 2yo and winning over $1 million dollars in prize money. Why? Because of a malformation in his spine that deteriorated quickly.

But he is only one of many ending in similar circumstances. And the reason why so many don’t buy OTTBs… Because the risk of them breaking down is so great.

This graphic, created by Naomi Tavian (@equinaomi), illustrates how long it takes for a horse to become fully mature.

There is evidence out now about the damage 2yo racing can (and is) having on horses, particularly their pelvis and spine (Becks Nairn has some great dissections and data). Horses don’t finish growing until they are 6yo+ and the pressure of racing and training has incredible detrimental effects on their young bodies. I am not advocating for an end to racing, but an end to racing 2yos.

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I love Thoroughbreds. They are generally incredibly willing to work with you, are stoic and put their heart in everything they do. I’m always in awe watching their power as they run, and they love it. Much like a working dog loves to naturally herd stock, thoroughbreds naturally want to run and be the fastest.

Quick interjection here, I don’t think this competitiveness is isolated to thoroughbreds. I once thought I was going to Silver Brumby it off a cliff during a trail ride when my arab, Elvis decided he was faster than a friends OTTB and he was going to prove it galloping up a trail. The fact that this trail did a sharp 90 degree turn, otherwise you went off the cliff really didn’t bother him as much as it did me. Somehow I managed to convince him our lives depended on him slowing down and not continuing to prove a point. We survived, but this competitive nature has always stuck with me.

Charlotte at dusk

This leads me to introduce you to Charlotte, a lovely bay OTTB mare I am priviliged to be caring for. Charlotte raced as a 3yo and was wildly unsuccessful. She raced a total of 4 times, for $1000 prize money. Charlotte is beautifully bred, and is very much the stature of a classical thoroughbred. Her gallop although powerful, has a lot of airtime, and to run fast, a gallop needs to be flatter and cover more ground with greater efficiency. Her gallop and movement, while not so good for racing, is very good as a performance horse. That power and impulsion going up, is exactly what makes for a good showjumper, eventer and dressage horse.

Charlotte racing as a 3yo. She is in the green and red silks, 4th from the left.

I was given Charlotte by a friend, as a horse to ride while I currently didn’t have one. Charlotte was his favourite, and was lined up to be a polocrosse star, but after some very controversial tactics from an opposing team, the high pressure pushed her over the edge and it was too much. Charlotte was dropped off here and I started the journey in re-building her confidence under saddle.

Charlotte is very much my type of horse. Highly strung, stoic and sensitive. I love a real people pleaser where it is my job to ask them to try things and then tell them what a great job they’re doing. And this is what Charlotte is. For those that have an interest in thoroughbred lines, Charlotte has Sir Tristam, Star Kingdom, Danzig and Tudor Melody (and she moves like it too). Our rides went from her barely breathing, to big regular breaths. Not standing still at all, to happily being stationary while mounting and mid-ride. And now stretching forward over her back and trusting me.

Charlotte is still a spicy miss and while she has come leaps and bounds, she unfortunately has injuries that limit how much further she will progress. She is perfectly comfortable galloping around the paddock and enjoying herself, proving to everyone that she is a thoroughbred and the daughter of many legends :-D . She’s even started to show her softer side and just want to hang out, which makes me so happy. For now though, I will carry on and see where we get to and monitor her for any pain signals. Like us, physical therapy is the best way to prevent further deterioration, and we’re both on that journey!