As the rider I should be the first name on the site, or is it that I am the one making the page? I am a 30 year old event rider who has been eventing for about 9 years now. with in this time I have ridden up to 3* level and produced some young horses along the way. I was originally born in Germany, where I lived until I was 7 with my mum. We then made the journey across to England, where we lived in the lake district for all of my schooling and also my first glimpses into the equestrian field. It was in England that I was first bitten by the horsey bug and I think that even if they found a cure I would not want it. I remember as a child being bullied quite badly. It was a leap of faith and fate as well that brought me to our local trekking centre, as the bigger boys were scared of the horses. I worked long hours and spent every spare minute at the stables, as here I was free to be me, no one judged me or thumped me or called me horrible names. I did all this in exchange for a ride on a horse at the end of every day, even if it was just in a head collar and lead rope on the way to the field. It wasn't until I was 14 that I was able to save enough money from baby sitting and paper rounds that I bought my first pony. Oakhead Queen 'B', she was a 14.2hds dapple grey welsh section D mare and I loved her more than anything in the world. I showed her at local shows in the mountain and moorland and then went on to show her at county level, I grew a little faster than I had hoped and felt that it was time for Queenie to be a mum and produce me something a little taller. So I put her in foal and went out and found my first horse "U NO THE ONE" (Ryan) an unbroken 3 year old shire xTB. What a find, he was easier to break in than he was to keep in a field, I can't recall how many phone calls I got telling me that the big bay monster had escaped yet again and was tearing up and down Mr Phillips' patio??!!

After Ryan and I had finally gotten over our field issues, we started to make quite the team. Sadly this was disrupted by Queenie tragically breaking her leg out in the field, she was 9 months in foal and I knew that this would be the hardest decision I would have to make in my life so far. My darling mare.......gone. We buried her on the farm where I kept her, she was and still is missed.

 I was very glad in a lot of ways that I had the big bay monster to concentrate on. He was to take me to my first pony club event, my first riding club team and then later on to BRITISH EVENTING.

By this time you may have guessed that I have aged a wee bit, 20 years old and I knew everything there was to know about horses. With this in mind I moved from the lakes to the Cotswolds where I worked on a livery yard in a little village called Chastleton. I figured out quite quickly that I had a lot more to learn about horses, but I also learned very quickly indeed that the lady I worked for was a work shy old bint. I stayed there for 9 months and then was urged to leave by friends. It was this moment in time that was to be a huge turning point in my life plans.

I applied for a job as a groom for a lady in Idbury, she had other plans and after seeing me ride she offered me the job as second rider. I know, I was just as shocked as you are right now. So all of a sudden I was having lessons with the likes of  'Jane Wallace' and 'Lucinda Green'. How bloody awesome is that? I worked there for 9 months and learnt more than I knew I could. Ryan and I did our first ever BE event and we went straight out at novice, we didnt make too huge a fools out of our selves.  But i felt slightly hemmed in, with that I made my next move to 'Workham Farm' where I started freelancing the first summer to ready me for the winter ahead working with the hunters. During this time I started to compete one of the yards young horses *O'neida O'reilly*and we went out to Pre novices and didn't die or overly disgrace ourselves. A little while later I started to compete another horse *Cornish Murphy* who was a naughty bull of a creature, I fell off twice at the second fence at Goring heath.....PRE NOVICE!! Oh the shame of it. We did get better in the end. Since he became the yards advanced horse completing Kreuth CCI*** 2008 and Bramham CCI*** 2009 I think we done good.

Mean while Ryan and I were out tackling intermediates, when money allowed. What an amazing horse, broken in by me and now we are doing intermediates. I was and am still so proud of the boy, although after he had a horrible near death experience with GUTTERAL POUCH MYCOSIS I thought it best to retire him and he is now with a lovely family in Kent, where he is showing them how much fun life really is. Other horses that have touched my life at workham have been 'Jaffa' and 'Flyte', both chestnut monsters but one out shone the other for talent. 'Jaffa' had to go as 'Flyte' was here to make his mark on my life a little more permanent. Going from prenovice to 3* in just 3 seasons. After completing Blenheim CIC*** 2009 on the chestnut freak, i made my move after 8 years to work for Trudi Robinson at Moor farm, it is here now that i am under her watchful eye as her rider.

Wayne: 07590010636

unotheone@talk21.com