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Saved by two outstanding females
At the start of the year, my riding instructors at Tumpy Green Equestrian Centre in Gloucestershire suggested it was time I found a more experienced horse to help progress my learning. Life has always been a struggle as I have autism, learning difficulties and epilepsy. I’d known Heather Moffat and the Enlightened Equitation team for a while, as we had talked on Facebook. They led me to Auntie. Auntie is a big, stocky cob and I fell in love with her. In our first lesson I got the trot diagonal wrong and, as we changed the rein, we both lost our balance. Auntie stopped and used her neck to push me back into the saddle to prevent me falling off. The riding centre staff were dumbstruck. For me it was a sign that I’d made the right decision in buying Auntie. Earlier this year I was invited to train with classical dressage trainer Jenny Rolfe. I’d always dreamt of visiting her and her beautiful Spanish stallions, but lacked the funds to do so. I Facebook messaged her and asked how much she normally charges, in order to save up. Jenny replied: “Come free of charge and I’ll make sure one of my bitless bridles will fit Auntie, so that you can have it as a present”. I was overwhelmed by her generosity. Jenny taught me how to use my breathing and breath energy to control Auntie rather than conventional aids, then we rode out into the countryside. Auntie was an absolute star. I learned so much from Jenny. She gave me a chance and her time and it proves people can be very kind when you’re brave enough to reach out to them. Charlie Avent, Gloucestershire