Louise Barson

"Meet" the founder member of the Virtual Riding Club

Hi and welcome to the Virtual Riding Club and a little information about myself, Louise Barson, founder Member of the VRC and my horses Alma and Mervin.

What is your background?

One of the things I had found difficult when I bought Alma was finding out where all the suppliers of equine goods and services were in my area. They are often small businesses so they rarely advertise and can be hard to find. Out of this developed the idea for the VRC's extensive Equine Directory. It is now a great resource for VRC members - possibly the largest in the UK with over 3,600 business listed all around the UK, mainly sole traders. This took a great deal of time for me to gather it together but a worthwhile exercise creating this resource to make it easier to find all the services we need for our hobby.

Due to the wide range of topics covered the VRC is suitable for everyone involved with horses; whether they are owners or riders and whether they ride for fun or competitively.

However, by being on the internet and holding talks & clinics rather than horse shows ( there are so many great shows to choose from already in the UK ) the VRC is particularly for the non competitive horse rider because we are focussed on discussion and clinics rather than shows. The non-competitive horse rider is often overlooked by the established equine press and competitive riding clubs

As a non-competitive rider myself I still want to ride to the best of my ability and train my horses to perform as well as they are able so I deliberately look for training for myself and my horses from a variety of sources rather than take part in regular competition. I know that there are a lot of horse riders and horse owners that feel the same way. Your contributions and ideas are very welcome - always !

When did you start riding ?

I've loved horses all my life and used to sit on horses as a teenager as I got some rides in return for mucking out and chores at a local stables. I say sit rather than ride as the instruction in the four lessons I could afford consisted of " hands down, heels down and grip with your knees "

I was then immediately sent out at weekends by the riding school leading up to 8 adults/children in the string for a hack ... how things have changed !!!

There was rather a long gap between 16 and 41. Life conspired against horses and me as I became immersed in exams, and then university - and then life in general. In fact I really only started to ride again properly when I was 42!

Do you own or ride any horses ?

I'm lucky enough to have my own horses but I do ride other people's from time to time - which I think helps you improve your riding.
Recently I rode Hogan a lovely 12 year old cob, who spends most of his time now with the Riding for the Disabled in Lambourn having previously been one of the local trainers hacks. Hogan and I had a great day's riding with our group and he behaved impeccably when we stopped at a pub for lunch. You may have seen Hogan recently in the opening credits for the BBC2 programme Race Country.

In 2001 I bought Alma, a 15.2h chestnut Austrian warmblood mare whom, much later on, I discovered has impeccable breeding as I have traced her lineage back to 1642 and the portrait of one of her ancestors, Whistlejacket, hangs in the National Gallery. Long story but Alma who is now 10 y/o is fondly referred to as my paddock ornament - however I have rebacked her in 2005 and we have progressed to gentle hacks.

In 2003 having decided that Alma needed to be "retired" I bought my second horse Mervin a.k.a. "Merve the Perve" (!!) as his registered show name - not guilty and always raises a snigger when I book in for a pleasure ride or any other event ! Apparently Merve just couldn't leave the mares alone as he was a rig until corrected when he was about 5. Mervin is a very handsome Irish cob, 15h skewbald and is 14.

What do you do with your horses ?

Well Alma and I have not much riding history under our belts for one reason or another - my extreme nervousness of traffic out hacking on the roads didn't help at all - now completely sorted. We have learned quite a few things together, lots of groundwork and in hand work and had fun and I lead her around the lanes for walks; good exercise for us both. I have rebacked Alma this year treating her as if she had never been ridden before and have been pleased with our progress.

With Mervin - well we'll have a go at anything really. Lots and lots of hacking from a quick spin around the block to all day rides I've taken him away in the past for a fortnight's riding with my husband and would love to ride around the UK !

We have access to horse transport so get out and about the bridleways in our region with our friends at least once a week. Also on occasions during the year we go away as a group - horses, partners, mountain bikes & walking shoes to explore riding/walking in other parts of the UK. We have a permanent booking for the August Bank Holiday at Maddle Farm in Lambourn - fantastic riding and the party can be up to 12 people, 4 horses and 3 dogs !

Mervin and I do schooling sessions, have a regular lesson with our Centered Riding Instructor ( Lisa, shown below with another rider - my Le Trec Pairs partner, Laureen and her highland mare, Folly ) and sometimes our group arranges for a different instructor to come and teach us all for the day. We have had a go at dressage test and wouldn't mind doing more to see how we have come on as a partnership.

This year Merve & I tried a Pairs Le Trec Competition and we got 3rd place - our first proper competitive rosette together - unless we include the 10th Anniversary of our yard co-operative when we held a Gymkhana. Picture this - half a dozen professional women in their mid thirties to mid fifties bobbing for apples, sack racing, ride and lead, egg and spoon, flag races and all the old favourites - supposed to be purely fun but the competitive streak kicked in as rosettes had been arranged and the horses had a great time thundering up and down the fields. We had chance to recover our composure with a lovely spread laid on by the owners of the farm and a couple of glasses of wine :0)

Now you've recovered from that image back to the Le Trec. I was ever so chuffed with our result as we couldn't reproduce or practice the obstacles at home so it wasn't until we actually did the competition that I rode my first ditch, bank, step up and down and staircase up and down, steep slopes and popped over a log and got top marks for some of them !! The obstacles looked a bit better when I was up on Merve's back than when I walked the course - I said I'd do it mainly in walk but we did it mainly at trot as Merve is an experienced chap having spent most of his life on a hunt yard and basically wanted to just get on with the job and we both loved every minute and would have gone round again if poss !

Do you apply any particular methods/ approaches ?

I'm think I'm very open minded and use elements of Parelli, Monty Roberts, Positive Reinforcement/Clicker Training and classical approaches rather than any one method and love picking up ideas from other enthusiasts.

I also consider and use different alternative therapies from time to time, especially as I have looked for solutions to help a remedial horse, but always after consulting my vet or other suitably qualified person.

I find that looking at the different approaches and taking the best from them i.e. the things that suit both you and your horse is the best way to get lots of tools in your toolbox. Then if anything crops up you have more solutions to choose from. I like the quote " if you've always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got."

So if me and my horses like what we've "always got" then we continue but if not then I know I need to consider finding a way to change something however small.

Different approaches also apply to riding/ training however I'll admit to having a real soapbox topic - Centered Riding - Sally Swift. If you get me at a meeting or down the pub with horsey contacts and the topic arises I won't stop enthusing as the visualisations Sally Swift uses really clicked with me and using them and developing my own images transformed my riding and my confidence along with a couple of other techniques, support and " hours on the clock."

Do you have any particular role models ?

I get inspired by people who are passionate about what they do or people who have overcome adversity and have such a positive attitude. Not necessarily related to horses but the skills/ abilities/ approaches they have can be taken on board by others, So people such as Lee Pearson, Nick Skelton, Lance Armstrong, Jane Tomlinson, Simon Weston, Ellen MacArthur, Judy Leden ,the list goes on....

What is your favourite equine product ?

I wouldn't be without Canter Mane & Tail Conditioner and 100% pure Aloe Vera Gel either Holland and Barrett for general purpose if you need a large quantity or Forever Living product's version if you just need a little. My husband's recipe for fly spray using top grade aromatherapy oils - it does work and we use it for ourselves when we go abroad as my skin reacts to some of the propriety brands. I used to get badly bitten and the bites could get infected but not any more and it has even passed the jungle test and smells lovely too!

finally ....

What is your greatest achievement to date since taking up riding ?

Gosh .... I feel I could pick out a few, rebacking Alma myself, a fortnight's holiday with my husband and Mervin in 2003 ( see "Riding with Horses" in the Out & About Section ) my first rosette at our yard gymkana, my UK Saddle Survey which, if you turn the questions around, informs riders what to look for when examining a saddle, networking to connect riders / horse lovers as I find that the equine world can be so fragmented, arranging Centered Riding Clinics using an instructor from the USA. Luckily we now have a couple of Centered Riding Instructors in the UK now and there was a series of articles over this summer in Horse & Rider magazine that will make the approach more well known and popular.

If I have to choose a single achievement then it has to be ...

... transforming myself from being "Nervous Nellie" who ended up having panic attacks every time she heard a vehicle approaching when hacking out on the roads - unavoidable if you keep your horses in the suburban fringe to ...

... " Martini woman " who rides anytime, anyplace, anywhere and ( nearly ) any horse - definitely showing my age now as I remember the advert !

So I believe that it is possible for most nervous riders to overcome their nerves with the right approach and support. The only reason I don't say all is because people have nerves when riding for many kinds of reasons.

If members wish I will consider writing something about the process I undertook when changing myself from being a nervous rider to a confident rider who really enjoys her hobby.

I hope you enjoyed reading this account and look forward to hearing from VRC Club members or indeed anyone who would like to submit their comments about the VRC.

Happy horsing around - whatever your involvement is with horses.