‘The thrill of riding is magical’
Pamela Rae-welsh, 41, from Oxfordshire, rediscovered her childhood passion for horses after a gap of 25 years. But her equestrian journey hasn’t been without its hurdles.
Horse riding was a big part of my childhood. A pony of my own was unaffordable, but weekends meant riding lessons at the local stables and every holiday would be spent at equestrian camp. I still remember the buzz of learning to canter and feeling like
I was in total sync with the horse.
My mother, Carol, had a stroke around the time of my 13th birthday and had to go into a rehabilitation centre. There wasn’t much time for frivolous things, so I stopped riding.
Horses would sometimes pop into my head in the intervening years, but I was so busy establishing my career, and then setting up my business, that I never felt I had time to get back in the saddle.
When my daughter, Felicity, was 10, she asked for horse-riding lessons after being taught the basics at school. I spotted some adults taking classes when I brought her along to the local stables and thought, ‘Why not?’ I’d missed the exhilaration of horse riding and realised it was something Felicity and I could do together.
Stupidly, I believed I’d slip back into riding again, but I had to go back to the beginning. Despite how rusty I was, it was still an utter joy. The complete escape of riding was an antidote to the frenzy of running my online marketing and strategy agency, Worsley Creative, and, after a few months of lessons, I decided I wanted to buy my own horse. I well and truly jumped in with both feet – not knowing anything about owning a horse – and bought myself a former racehorse called Romeo.
It was love at first sight! Romeo had the most beautiful eyes and such a gentle demeanour. Riding him was the very best part of my day and I felt totally free. I even loved getting up at
It brings me such contentment and joy
6am to muck him out. I was besotted, helped by the fact that he was a total mummy’s boy! I also found a wonderful tribe of horsey women at my stables in Uffington. I’ve experienced kindness and friendship. Stacey, my teacher, is now one of my best friends.
But owning a horse hasn’t all been smooth sailing. One day in April 2021, something spooked Romeo and I fell off, hurting my back and needing a while to recover. Then, when I was ready to starting riding again, unfortunately, Romeo was unwell and diagnosed with a spine condition, which proved impossible to treat. I lost him in the summer of 2022.
I’m not ready to get another horse of my own yet, but one day, I know I will. Right now, I’m making sure I keep up my practice by having weekly lessons with Stacey, and my friends from the stables let me ride their horses, too.
I can’t imagine my life without riding now. It brings me such contentment and joy, and the sense of freedom you feel while on the back of a horse cannot be replicated.