“oh f**k, oh f**k, oh f**k, I’m wobbling, I’m gonna come off, I’m gonna die, wait a second, I’m still up here – woo hoo we made it!!”

Meeting a fence too long but with no room for an extra stride, throwing your heart over the fence, closing your eyes, hoping for the best and then feeling the horse go with you.

A challenging jump saddle jump – oh f**k, oh f**k, oh f**k, I’m wobbling, I’m gonna come off, I’m gonna die, wait a second, I’m still up here – woo hoo we made it!!

“Saved by the long neck and the fact he kept his head up!”

A sip of something from a hip flask that you can feel warming you on the way down your neck on a very cold day.

Having a big chat with your horse, who always listens, and never tells you to cop the f**k on or that you are wrong or irrational or in need of therapy…..even when you might be all of those things.

Managing to do a fancy dressage move on purpose in the arena and not just as an accidental  ‘road dressage’ move when the horse is escaping the leaf of terror on a hack.

Oh Deer!

Putting gloves on the ears of a very tolerant horse to make antlers

The sound of hooves when hacking on the road.

A horse that stands and waits for you wherever you leave her untied in the arena or yard.

The wind in your face galloping around a field.

Losing your balance and almost hitting the deck when a horse steadies and waits for you to regain control because they can feel you are all over the shop.

Nothing beats a hug

A whinny and the horse’s head over the stable door to greet you when you arrive in the yard.

…and realising they recognised the sound of your footsteps and voice before they saw you.

A hot cup of tea in your hand and a big heavy warm rug around your shoulders on a cold day.

When your horse doesn’t even bother walking off away from you before throwing themselves down for a big roll.

Realising when the judge calls you out as a clear round that you didn’t knock that show-jump you were convinced you had down after all.

Snow Day

Watching horses playing and dragon snorting in the snow

A hug from your horse after a bad day at work

“feeling like you were in the air for ages”

Jumping a big fence and feeling like you were in the air for ages.

Walking along beside a horse with your arm over their neck and their shoulder next to yours.

A canter along the beach

When a horse lies down and happily lets you get down beside them.

A horse that runs across the field to come in when you call them.

Entering a dressage arena and realising that yes you are actually for once going in a straight line on the centre line.

Putting santa hats on horses at Christmas

When a horse is so confident you can practically hear them say ‘leave it to me, I’ve got this’

Narrowly avoiding falling off for example when you are just about to fall down the neck of an honest horse and he lifts up his head to save you.

Narrowly avoiding a hoof to the toe or a tail to the face.

Making shadow photos on a sunny day

Washing a horse (and inadvertently yourself) on a hot summer day and having a drink from the hose.

Discovering that someone sold as ‘waterproof’ is for once actually waterproof.

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