My Horses
Coco
This is Coco (Coco Mademoiselle) who started me on my journey of never ending self improvement; she is the reason I am where I am today. Coco was heart horse and I really believe we healed each other. When I got her we were both in a bad place mentally, emotionally and physically and we both reflected everything we were feeling back at each other so that we couldn't escape it. We had a tough first year (she was 3 years old and being an ex-racer all she knew was how to run) and I nearly threw in the towel numerous times! Coco would rear and run around me in circles when I tried to lead her anywhere; she was explosive and unconfident. I couldn't handle her feet, she would just pull away and the first time I 'rode' her she rammed herself into a fence and I promptly got off! But we persevered with the support of some brilliant instructors. She taught me more than I could have ever imagined and we shared a connection unlike any other. I lost her in 2014 just a few months before she turned 7 years old. I miss her everyday but have taken all that she taught me to help other horses and continue to develop my skills. She makes up the 'CO' of CoRE and I make up the 'RE'.
Raz
Raz (Razzle Dazzle) is my little dude of a New Forest pony. Mischief is his middle name; he is a pretty confident, low energy laid back chap most of the time but is an escape artist and human challenger. He came to us in 2013 labelled as 'aggressive' and 'dangerous' and on the way to the meat man. He had simply never been taught any boundaries and how to yield to pressure; he knew exactly how to get what he wanted from humans. Raz and I spent a while disliking and being frustrated with each other, but a change in my attitude quickly meant we were progressing and enjoying each other's company. We have a great relationship, nothing warms my heart more than hearing him nicker the moment I arrive; wherever I am his eyes are fixed on me waiting to come join me! He is a horse I would never choose but who I believe was put in my path to teach me the things that Coco couldn't. He has me in hysterics on an almost daily basis and constantly pushes me to improve my skills. He is the best teacher I have ever had, we still frustrate each other regularly which is all part of the learning process. He is retired now but we still enjoy each others company and he is occasionally used to teach participants of The HorseCourse.
Mrs N
Mrs N (Tamsin) is my New Forest X Welsh Section C pony who came to my friend as a pretty much un-handled 4 year old frightened of human contact. She had been given the name Mrs Nasty because she charged at any human that got near to her. She was started under saddle most recently and most successfully as an 8 year old. I began loaning her in Summer 2015 and she was gifted to me by her owner in May 2016. She is extremely sensitive and can be reactive, every day is different from the last with her. N had trouble for a long time accepting the saddle, she stuggled with other horses being in her space when being ridden and would often panic when being approached or handled by anyone new. She is always keen to please and is very intelligent and a talented mover; I often say she is a Warmblood trapped in a ponies body! She is a great at teaching you about lightness and using your energy before your tools, she will let you know when you've got it wrong. I find that she is a good gauge for what I am aiming for with other horses in terms of the quality of the response when yielding to pressure. She is my most advanced horse and we are definitely the horse/human versions of each other! My goal for her has always been to be a good all rounder; she is great at liberty and dependent enough to hack alone or lead other horses from but I'd like to compete her in unaffiliated Dressage too.
Ted
Ted is a 16hh ISH with incredibly good bloodlines who was bred to event. Unfortunately it went a bit wrong when he was started as a youngster, and whilst his most recent owners were not sure exactly what happened he arrived with a lot of fear, claustrophobia and trust issues; his default was to pull back, panic and run. Despite this he has always loved people and is usually the first to come and greet me in the field, often cantering to me.
His last owners put a lot of time into his development and getting him over his fears but with limited time and success he was retired to the field for a few years. I began getting to know Ted in 2016 and he came to me in 2017 and since then he has made fantastic progress. I have spent a lot of time building his confidence on the ground, initially catching and haltering Ted was a huge issue, as was loading into the lorry so they have both been a big focus of ours (he can now be caught and loaded without issue!) . He is very different to my other horses so he is teaching me a huge amount. Ted is mostly non-ridden due to some physical issues so my goal for him is to be a good Liberty horse, he is currently used to teach participants of The HorseCourse which is a job he loves. He is beautiful inside and out!
