Pammy Hutton discusses motivations and promoting inclusivity in the horse world
Once upon a time, I was 17, preoccupied with improving my riding style, knowledge and results, and impressing the great and good. Now at 71, I still worry about the same things. My shoulders are rounder but my awareness is better and I don’t so much care what others think.
Riding into old age, fighting those creaky joints, is hard. It can be terrifying too… will I sit that buck? Yet when people ask me why I’m still riding, my reply is that I love it. I love riding even more than I hate sofas, beds and doctors, especially the one who offered me a blue disabled badge. My head still remembers how to gallop, jump, show off and win; anyway, I’ve always been spurred on by critics.
“Your shoulders were round, you looked in pain,” I was told more recently. Blast that, I sat better the next day. Yes, the mindset needed to ride well – at any age – shouldn’t be underestimated.
With that in mind, I’ve encouraged a man with life-shortening cystic fibrosis to ride. He’s enjoying it and his doctors are amazed. Elsewhere, the Riding for the Disabled Association is outstanding, the Emile Faurie Foundation does so much good, the BHS has its Changing Lives through Horses programme.
Horses are the best lifestyle coaches. They listen to our woes and they encourage us to exercise. Let’s all ride to better mental and physical health.
OK, money is tight. But if you want to give yourself or a friend a therapeutic treat – make it a ride.
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A fashion fix
Even in these straitened times, riders gripped by “saddle syndrome” need a new one more often than a new dress. And £6,000 is easily spent by the time sparkly bits, personalised piping and mock croc leather are added.
Perhaps I’m missing out, but my Albion has served me well for 27 years. Checked regularly by a qualified saddle fitter, it fits five of my horses. Maybe I should look elsewhere for my fashion fix?
And having acquired a new riding hat to comply with the latest rules, I’m busy with the glue gun sticking on some bling so as not to be underdressed.
Welcoming to all
Everyone agrees that the horse world needs to be more inclusive. Although, I hasten to add, that shouldn’t mean watered down. Horse & Country’s All Stars production, with its “anyone can do it” message, does a great job of delivering riding to the non-horsey but curious by involving the bottom of the pyramid.
OK, I’m biased as I’m in it, but as a riding school proprietor, I see an urgent need to bring people into our sport by selling the fun, the endeavours and the benefits. Unlike hard-pressed pubs, which can close two days a week to reduce overheads, we can’t turn off our horses. So we’re fighting rising costs by being open all hours, and welcoming to all.
Those who take up riding are not necessarily going to be Olympic gold medallists. But their participation ultimately helps support those who do aspire to competitive success. Anyway, you never know who might push themselves to become champions if they’re given the chance.
Even at 71, I experienced a new first recently: a Rod Stewart concert. Oh my gosh, that’s how to claim an audience aged 76. Great personalities – horse and human – will help our sport survive and thrive too.
● Have you experienced any “firsts” recently? Let us know at hhletters@futurenet.com including your name, nearest town and county and you might find your experiences shared in a future issue of Horse & Hound magazine.
This exclusive column will also be available to read in Horse & Hound magazine, on sale Thursday 2 March
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Pammy Hutton is joint principal of Talland School of Equitation and an international dressage rider and trainer. She is a Fellow of the British Horse Society and has competed internationally in eventing, being reserve for the Montreal Olympics. Pammy is the daughter of the late Molly Sivewright, is married to Brian Hutton and mother to successful dressage riders Charlie and Pippa. A regular Horse & Hound columnist, you can read Pammy’s views in the magazine or digital subscribers can view them online below.
