Who Is My Instructor?

Read all about Kim below.  There are also links to Sophie Dickinson and Johnathan Bowman’s websites.  Hopefully others will follow when they get time????? 

KIM GEORGE

I learnt to ride at the age of 8 at Grazemoor Farm, Witham Friary with a lady called Mrs Crouch who taught me lots but I feel the most important thing she taught me was that it didn’t matter how cold, how tired, how wet, how hungry you were you always made sure your horse was looked after first.

I didn’t actually own my own horse until I was 15 and then my unhorsey parents bought me an unbroken 3 year old thoroughbred which I spent the next 3 years being bolted and bucked off it - was not a success!! But we learn from our mistakes!

I was a member of the Wylye Valley Pony Club as a child and Mrs Yeoman was the DC.  When I had my own daughter we, therefore, joined Wylye Valley Pony Club again and I got asked to teach at mini camp and as they say, the rest is history!

It was approximately 15 years ago that I taught for the first time at mini camp and I had a great time and so hopefully did my ride, anyway people started to ask me to teach their children but with all the health and safety and insurance issues even back then I soon realised I needed to take myself off to college and get qualified to become a BHS registered instructor.

Fifteen years on my pupils range from 3 to 53 and I enjoy teaching anybody who wants to learn.
 
Me and my horse:

I have one and a half horses at home, Bob my horse and my daughter, Hollie’s first pony, Daisy May which I made the fatal mistake of promising her we would never sell – we have owned her for the past 17 years!

I brought Bob (Black and White) a TBx 15.2hh piebald gelding as a just broken four year old nine years ago when I decided I was going to have a go at dressage but needed a horse that didn’t need to be ridden everyday, as my children were still young.  I can remember loading him into the lorry and him banging around all the way home rocking the lorry all over the place and me thinking oh help, what have I brought! 
 

But they say you get one very special horse in a lifetime and I think he is probably mine.  He has always tried his hardest for me and I couldn’t ask for more than that.  At first Bob did a bit of unaffiliated dressage, he was in the Wylye Valley showjumping team with my daughter Hollie riding him and he also enjoyed lots of fun rides.

When Bob started winning at unaffiliated level dressage I decided to affiliate him.

Here is a list of his achievements:

He has never come home without a rossette
We beat William Fox Pitt and Tamarillo at Kingston Mauward (Tamarillo was in one of his naughty moods though!)
He qualified for The British Dressage Regional Championships at Prelim Novice and Elementary level
He also qualified for the National Winter Championships at Novice level
He Won the Elementary Pet Plan Regional Championships at Moreton where he got his first sash and then came 10th in the Elementary Pet Plan National Championships which was held at Hartpury
He also won a couple of Medium tests at training level before he sadly developed ringbone which is a form of arthritis to the pastern joint which unfortunately has meant that his dressage career at this level is over but I am hoping that he will stay sound to enjoy some lower level dressage, hacking and a bit of jumping for fun!

Since Kim wrote this she has bought a new horse, a 15hh piebald, Warmblood called Bunny (below), who has just had her 4th Birthday.

Very sadly Bob had to be put to sleep in November 2011, as he was in such a lot of pain and there was no cure for him.

What horse would you love to own….?

…It would have to be Totilas who has recently been sold for millions so I don’t suppose I am ever likely to own him! I saw him for the first time at the Europeans at Windsor and he was amazing, I have never seen such movement in a horse and the ride he would give you would be amazing, he is such a show man but I wouldn’t mind any ex-police horse in my Christmas stocking either as I always think they must be so relaxing to hack as nothing seems to faze them.

 PAULA COWARD

watch this space!

CLARE BROWN

watch this space!

ANDY CARTER

watch this space!

SOPHIE DICKINSON

For information about Sophie please see her website and click here

JOHNATHAN BOWMAN

For information about Johnathan please see his website and click here