It’s Never Too Late - Part One

This article is from the February 2021 Horse Deals magazine.

You’re not too old to start and you’re not too old to keep riding!
Let these ‘seasoned’ riders inspire you...

Jennifer Allen

Age: 68

State: Victoria 

What’s your history with horses? I started riding at nine years of age in England when I attended the local riding school. From that moment I was smitten and have pursued my love of horses since. Through thick and thin, with many ups and downs along the way — for instance coming home in the mid-English winter evening with frostbite (after pedalling my bike from the stables) and crying in pain as fingers and toes came back to life. “Don’t go then” was the parental advice — fat chance!  My parents bought me a horse when we moved to Australia and apart from a break to have a family, I have ridden ever since. I enjoy being part of the local Adult Horse Riding Club and have done dressage, showjumping, navigation rides and endurance rides. I am lucky enough to live near a state forest and do miles of bush rides each week, however my favourite discipline is horse trials and that magic moment when you go through the starting flags for xc is incomparable to anything (except maybe successfully returning through the finish flags).

What benefits does riding provide? For me, riding provides an outlet for my love of all things horsey, and also for my enthusiasm and energy — doing something I enjoy enormously and have done for the last 60 years. Apart from the physical benefits of an active sport, riding is also fantastic for my mental health; and many a bad day has been turned around by spending time with my horse(s). Riding also provides me with the opportunity to enjoy lots of laughs with all my like-minded, crazy horse friends and share in their horsey successes, disappointments, mishaps and all associated mayhem.

How did you choose your current equine partner? My previous pony was getting old and was sporadically lame, so I set about looking for a new horse. My preference of horse has always been the Arab, and when my girlfriend was selling one that she had just broken in and which was too small for her, she asked me did I want to ride him — no strings attached. Well, there were strings attached alright — straight to my heart. We connected on every level, and even though he can be challenging at times, his personality means that he is loved by everyone who meets him.  We won’t mention that if he doesn’t want to be caught, you can spend hours on all the “expert stuff” to rectify that, but he still sails away with his finger up. My horse is called Billy - “Bill the Legend” my friends call him — although when not being caught or dumping me up the bush and going home — sure there was snake/bunyip/butterfly in that bush mum, he is known as “Bill the Bastard.” Bill is sought after for accompanying friends on bush rides— either near home or away, as he has an inbuilt GPS system and always knows where he is and the shortest route back to home (or his float). Unfortunately, Bill travels ‘as the crow flies’ so your route home can be cross country, mindless of fences, mine shafts, kangaroos, low hanging branches, trees etc., which is always interesting to say the least!

Have your riding goals altered as you’ve matured? My riding goals have increased with age, as I have more opportunity now to fulfill my dreams through being a member of the Smythesdale Adult Riders Club. This allows me access to and instruction for lots of different variations of this wonderful sport and I have made many horsey friends who are always up for an adventure. I have had immense fun competing in so many different events over the last 15 years — really pushing myself sometimes in pursuit of my personal goals. 

What’s become easier? Finding time to ride is easier now I am older, as I don’t have the responsibilities of raising children, working and making my way in life. This gives me more freedom and less conflicting priorities, although I am of course mindful of other people in my family and try not to be too boring.
Competing is also easier now. The advent of adult riding clubs made a big impact on me, as I was really sad that I could not join my daughter when she attended pony club and I really wanted to do all that fun stuff that I had experienced during my time at pony club when I was (much) younger.

What’s become more challenging? Getting on! Getting off — I hear the chorus of united and varied groans from my buddies when dismounting after a trail ride, but the happiness on our faces and the Sav Blanc after, makes it all worthwhile. Now that I am retired the cost of competing and having regular lessons is also a challenge.
What do you do to stay strong, fit and ready to compete? As well as riding my horse, I enjoy bushwalking and bike riding.  Lucky for me, I remain fit and am active all day with gardening etc. I would like to say that I do core strengthening exercises, but I don’t — bending up and down to pick up poo is enough for me.

Have your confidence levels changed over the years? Yes, I am not as gung-ho now as I was at 14, but not sure if I was confident then, or just invincible! Age brings some grounding realisations in relation to mortality and lack of bounce when dishonourably dismounting.

In some ways, though, my confidence has grown due to the constant support and encouragement of my friends. I still shake when I see a 65cm oxer in the showjumping ring and am much happier going cross country than steering round the coloured poles (especially on xc when I hit the turbo button and Bill flies). Also, I used to be terrified of floating a horse (due to an unfortunate incident when I was young), however I quickly realised that if I wanted to fulfil my dream of competing and doing fun stuff, I needed to put my big-girl pants on and just do it! Luckily Bill loves the float and smiles and nods to all and sundry when we are travelling.

What advice do you have for other mature-aged riders? Follow your dreams. Age is just how long since you were born, which has no bearing on anything really. Keep fit and active and if you struggle with this, just remember that the pleasure and laughter that you gain from your crazy horse friends overtakes everything (together of course with the love and companionship that you get to share with your special best buddy — there’s nothing like a horse kiss to keep you motivated).

Remember that in the horsey world, as I have found — if you want to do things as you get older, there is heaps of encouragement to be found everywhere.

Boyce Deverell

Age: 74

State: Victoria

I arrived in Australia as a 10-pound visitor in 1967 and had several sales positions before establishing Olympic Saddlery in the Yarra Valley, Victoria in early 1980. Some years later, The NRG Team was born.

What is your history with horses? I am old enough to have grown up on a farm in Ireland with Irish Draught working horses. Donkeys and ponies were part of the scene and I learnt at an early stage that both were easier than shanks pony (otherwise known as walking)!

In Australia, I swiftly purchased my first horse in 1968 where I enjoyed competing in showjumping and hunting with the Yarra Glen Hounds. Since that time, we have had horses at various stages and becoming far more involved once The NRG Team was established.

For some years now, I have been competing at HRCAV events and even learning how to go around in circles (one may know it as dressage) and still having weekly lessons to ensure my squares become round!

How did you choose your current equine partner? I broke all the rules when finding my New Zealand Hunter, Finn McCool. I needed a hunting horse and found Finn in New Zealand, bought sight unseen and had him transported over here. Once we established a good relationship, he became a lovely horse where he was initially for hunting and now my current eventing partner.

Have your riding goals altered as you matured? Well, my first goal was not to fall off! Looking back, the only goal I have ever really had is to enjoy my riding.

What has become easier? To be honest, once our kids had finished their education, it became easier to afford the luxury of having horses and competing.

Riding donkeys as a kid taught me about the importance of balance and this has always helped with my riding, even at my present age.

What has become more challenging? In my senior years, with a busy business, it is very easy to put off riding until “tomorrow” so time would be my main challenge. Suffering from the usual back complaints, flexibility is my biggest physical challenge.

Now that Finn and I are both in our senior years, we are finding it much more difficult to keep our fitness up. Finn, in particular, needs a lot more regular work, especially as we have so much green grass this year in Victoria and he is carrying more weight than usual.

What do you do to stay strong, fit, and ready to compete? Keeping on working in our factory and on the farm. I am regularly lectured about appropriate exercise but have to admit, doing pilates or gym-work leaves me cold and so the best answer is simply keeping busy.

My colleague Jodie also competes within HRCAV and the challenges she issues helps my competitive nature to overcome becoming slack.

Have your confidence levels changed over the years? Of course, fear of hurting one’s self is always at the back of my mind these days. My reaction time is slower, but perhaps experience makes up for my lack of coaching in previous years.

What advice do you have for other mature age riders? Lessons, lessons, lessons, and more lessons!

Should you have a strong or difficult horse, do not try to sort it out yourself. Either give it to a trainer or have a younger person help you to sort out the issues. I know so many mature-aged riders who have given up because they allowed the fear of falling off to get the better of them. For us men, in particular, we can allow our pride to restrict us from having younger people to tell us what to do.

Shirley Crossley

Age: 60

State: South Australia

What’s your history with horses? Apparently, I started riding a stick horse at about three years of age and drove my family mad until they relented and got me a pony when I was eight. She was about 13hh and threw me off several times a week, but my passion for horses grew fiercer regardless of this.

I travelled to pony club in an open trailer with my mad pony and we started competing. Soon, I was riding show ponies and hacks for various owners and breeders. It gave me valuable experience on a range of different breeds, types and styles. This included endurance riding as well.

I became an AHSA National Judge, an EA Show Council Judge and instructed at Peterborough, Burra and Clare Pony Clubs over the years.

Showing eventually ran its course and harness driving became the new focus. Combined driving (dressage, marathon and obstacle driving and cones driving all combined) was exciting and addictive. My husband Henry and I took turns in driving a single pony and a pair of ponies. This culminated in Henry representing Australia at the World Pony Carriage Driving Championships in UK in 2005 with me as groom – an amazing experience!

The pair has now been retired, being undefeated in driven dressage over a ten year period, something I am incredibly proud of. The new kid on the block is a black Welsh Cob that has just started his driven career.

What benefits does horse ownership and driving provide? Horses give immense pleasure, they help keep me sane and I love the bond that they can share with people. They present challenges in their training and give pleasure and satisfaction seeing them improve and grow within the partnership.

Carriage driving enabled us to meet a host of different people, competing both in Australia and overseas. All types of driving can be enjoyed, ranging from pleasure driving, show driving, endurance driving and combined driving. There are many carriage driving clubs all around Australia that are always happy to see new people join and enjoy the sport.

How did you choose your current equine partner? He is a black Welsh Cob that was offered to me by a friend who thought we could be a good match and he is progressing well. We call him Lenny after his breaker Len Comfort. I could never resist a shiny black horse!

Have your horse related goals altered as you’ve matured? Very much. I’m prepared to take more time to achieve goals and place less pressure on myself and my horse to get there. Also, I get a great deal of pleasure and pride out of helping other people improve their skills and achieve their goals.

What’s become easier? More emphasis on enjoyment and pleasure with my horses and not expecting or pushing for perfection every session. Less pressure on myself and my horse.

What’s becoming more challenging? The loss of physical strength, agility and restrictive movement due to age and previous injuries. The mind says yes, but the body is still catching up with the instructions. Being short doesn’t help either!

What do you do to stay strong, fit and ready to compete? We stick to a planned training regime with the horses, do our own hoof trimming, clipping etc which is labour intensive in itself – plenty of weight training looking after horses!

We try to walk every day, general physical activity, keep our minds busy reading articles, dressage tests, rule changes etc.

Have your confidence levels changed over the years? Yes, definitely more safety conscious and avoid unnecessary risks. I am very aware that I take longer to heal and break more easily than I used to! However, I’m more confident in my experience and knowledge in reading horses and predicting their reactions to help prevent accidents or confrontations.

What advice do you have for other mature-aged horse owners? If you love it, try it. Just physically being around horses and caring for them can give you immense pleasure and I find them a great stress relief from everyday life.

Set yourself realistic and achievable goals. There are many like-minded people out there that you can relate to and if carriage driving is your goal, there are many clubs all around Australia that would welcome you to their ranks. It’s never too late, enjoy!

Brian Scholes

Age: 64

State: Victoria

What’s your history with horses? I started riding at Patricia Barnewall’s stables in West Brunswick at the age of 14. There was a whole group of kids there and I rode her horses at local shows and with the group. We would all ride together all the way from West Brunswick to Tullamarine Pony Club on weekends.

I purchased my first horse, a Thoroughbred, at the age of 16 and I travelled to shows with Graeme Cameron. I rode until my mid 20’s, then I took on a behind the scenes role with a team of show horses that competed at the highest Royal Show level. Our horses won many Royal Shows and Horse of the Year awards, it was a lifestyle. Since that time I have been happy to ride and show a horse for my own pleasure.

What benefits does riding provide? It helps with my general fitness and core strength. It’s definitely my happy place. When I teach a young horse something new, it sets me up for the day.

All horses are different so you develop problem-solving skills as you have to find a way forward. It also enables me to compete at shows and to enjoy the social aspect of that is wonderful.

Why did you choose your current horse? I bought Welcome Stranger myself as I thought his conformation was good.

He cost me just $500. I thought I would like to bring on another Clydie cross as I had enjoyed the buckskin Fields of Harvest. I had jumped that horse over small fences and I wanted to do working hunters with him. I asked Robert Agnew, if he would he take him and give him some confidence over a fence and he was so good, he’s now a jumper for Robert.

From the day Welcome Stranger was broken in, his temperament was perfect. He’s also a great traveller, doesn’t need company, I bring him out of his stable, saddle him up and ride off. At shows, I can walk him out past the wood chopping or under the zipper and he never lets me down.

Have your riding goals altered as you’ve gotten older? Today, it’s more about the training. I enjoy riding in clinics and learn from dressage trainers and when showing, my goal is to do the best workout possible.

What’s become easier? Riding to please myself. Today I’m under no pressure. I generally concentrate on two horses, my main show horse and an up and coming youngster.

What’s become more challenging? Keeping my weight in check to fit into my riding clothes, also keeping my fitness level up. Riding fitness is different to the fitness level you get going to a gym and I need to ride every day.

Have your confidence levels changed over the years? My mind has definitely changed. I’m not under any pressure, it’s purely for fun. You realise that winning big events isn’t life-changing. I’m more aware now of choosing the right horse that’s appropriate for my age. Having horses with great temperaments gives you confidence.

What advice do you have for other mature aged riders? To purchase a horse that is easy to ride and train. When I send a young horse to my breaker I say “only send it back to me if it will make an old person’s horse” and he is always spot on in his assessment.

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