HAVING HAD THE WISH TO RIDE FROM A YOUNG AGE BUT NEVER ABLE TO DUE TO CIRCUMSTANCES I BEGAN RIDING WHEN MY SON WAS 4 YEARS OLD.  HOWEVER MY SON DECIDED THAT HE WOULD LIKE TO GIVE IT A GO AND BY THE TIME HE WAS 9 WE HAD PURCHASED OUR FIRST PONY PRINCE, NOW KNOWN AS PICKLES AND STILL GOING STRONG.  THEN ALEX JOINED IN LEAVING ME TO TAKE A BACK SEAT WITH MY RIDING AND JUST TO ENJOY THE PONIES AND THE COMPETITIONS THAT THEY EVENTUALLY TOOK PART IN.

ALEX WENT TO WRITTLE COLLEGE AT THE AGE OF 14 DETERMINED TO GAIN SOME QUALIFICATIONS WITHIN THE EQUESTRIAN WORLD.  HAVING COMPLETED THEM AND GOING ON TO GAIN MORE EXPERIENCE BY WORKING WITH HORSES SHE IS NOW WORKING FOR HER TRAINER WHO COMPETES MAINLY IN EVENTING.  ALEX HAS BECOME MORE INTERESTED IN DRESSAGE AND IS NOW COMPETING OUR HORSES IN THIS DISCIPLINE.

CHILLI HAS NOW DECIDED THAT HE DOES LIKE TO BE SCHOOLED AN IS BEHAVING LIKE A TRUE STAR.  HE HAS BEEN OUT TO A FEW SHOWS BOTH DRESSAGE AND SHOWJUMPING AND HOPEFULLY 2009 WILL BE A YEAR FOR HIM TO START SHOWING EVERYONE WHAT HE IS MADE OF.

WALLY HAS NOW BEEN SOLD TO LISA MALONE OF EQUUS-MORAY IN SCOTLAND.  SHE BOUGHT HIM FROM US AS SHE SADLY LOST HER WARMBLOOD LAST YEAR.  WALLY WAS A LOVELY HORSE BUT ALEX FELT THAT HE NEEDED A LARGER OUTLOOK ON LIFE THAN JUST DRESSAGE AND HAS NOW GOT THE LUXURY OF LIVING BY THE BEACH FOR SOME LONG RIDES AS WELL AS SOME JUMPING.  GOOD LUCK TO LISA WITH WALLY.  WALLY TAUGHT ALEX A HUGE AMOUNT, HE WASN'T AN EASY HORSE TO OWN BUT HE WAS VERY EASY TO FORGIVE, HE WAS A GOOD TEACHER ALEX HAS GAINED INVALUABLE EXPERIENCE BY OWNING HIM FOR 18 MONTHS.

LISA'S LINK TO HER RIDING SCHOOL IS WWW.EQUUS-MORAY.COM  SHOULD YOU WISH TO GO FOR LONG BEACH RIDES WHILST ON HOLIDAY IN THIS BEAUTIFUL PART OF SCOTLAND.