Why I... ride horses
"The behaviour of horses is what fascinates me – their facial expressions change really subtly – and we’ve forgotten how to read these things in humans."
My dad was a tea farmer and we got to live in some fairly remote places when I was growing up in Sudan and Kenya.
He set up a tea estate in Southern Sudan in 1979 when I was 10. It was a project for the European Community, which was trying to set up industries there.
My stepmum had horses and I remember riding in the pristine, virgin rainforest and watching monkeys and hyrax. Because horses are grazers, other prey animals don’t view you as a threat when you’re riding so you can get much closer to them.
We lived in Kenya most of my childhood and I had a game ranch on my doorstep. I remember being only 20 feet away from elephants, wildebeest, zebra and giraffes. As I grew up I kept my love of horses and did cross country eventing and dressage.
You have to learn to read what might happen from their behaviour. Animals are like us – if they’re going to do anything, there is signalling and posturing beforehand.
I live in Britain now and have three horses. One is a 22-year-old rescue horse called Buster, who was badly treated at some point. He has a lot of visible scar tissue but more invisible scars.
But he’s sensible and straightforward and he magnifies back at you how you’re feeling. If I see him after a bad day, he’s really wary. I might think I’ve calmed down but he can see immediately that I haven’t and backs off.
A horse is massive but it is a very gentle relationship. They have a desire to please.
The behaviour side is what fascinates me – particularly the horse’s mannerisms and body language. Their facial expressions change really subtly – we’ve forgotten how to read these things in humans and it really helps me read clients’ expressions in meetings. You can tell if they haven’t understood what you’ve said – or if they’re not listening.
Horses provide down time at the end of a long day. When I’m with them, I’m outside and not stuck in an office. It’s real relaxation. Anyone who craves calmness and doesn’t mind the rain would benefit from owning horses.