Where did you grow up?

I grew up in a village in East Yorkshire. I am from a non-horsey family, but there was a racing yard in the village. I remember running to the window every morning to watch the race horses go past. I managed to persuade my parents at aged 3 to find a local riding school and I have been hooked ever since. As a teen I worked at a yard with working liveries and horses in for backing and schooling and I would ride any horse that came in.

How long have you been an IH Member?

I’m not sure – over 10 years!  I first found out about Kelly and IH at a Monty Roberts demo back in the late 1990’s.  For me, the most useful benefits of membership are access to ongoing up-to-date informed education. The ability to gain practical skills relevant to handling and management of horses not adequately taught elsewhere and meeting like-minded people. We have made some good friends through attending courses and demos.

How does your medical career mix with horses?

I graduated Barts and Royal London Medical school MBBS in 2003, having also spent a year at Kings College London where I gained an additional BSc Philosophy and Medical Science. We were the only med college to have a Turf Club of which I was secretary and owned 2 racehorses in training. The first named “Nearly a Doctor” and the second we purchased on a memorable trip to the blood stock sales in Ireland – “Gallop Rhythm”. I completed my junior doctor year in London before moving to Sheffield to take a training rotation in Psychiatry. After a year I transferred to General Practice training and completed my MRCGP in 2008 and have worked as a GP ever since. I currently work 3 days a week at a busy practice in the seaside town of Bridlington on the East Yorkshire coast. I also work as the RNLI doctor in a voluntary capacity to support the town’s Lifeboat Crew. Prior to the recent pandemic I completed my training in the new specialty of Medical Examiner with the Royal College of Pathologists.

My family are completely non-medical and completely non-horsey!  But for me it was either medicine or horses when I left school – now I am managing to do both.

I have ridden since I was 3 after nagging my parents…. But did not get my first horse until I was 29. As a teen I worked at yards and rode a lot of young and “difficult” horses… I was generally the person that would get on any horse. After university I wanted to return to riding regularly and ended up completing my BHS exams to Stage 3 whilst working as a junior doctor. I then attended another Monty / Kelly Demo and was inspired to pursue training with Intelligent Horsemanship and completed all the preliminary courses in 2015.

My wife Rosie and I currently own 7 horses of various shapes and sizes (and a menagerie of dogs and cats and chickens) at our small farm in East Yorks.  They are all in ridden work, 4 of whom we have backed and started in the past 7 years following IH principles. I currently train in Classical Dressage and have regular lessons as well as enjoying hacking and clinics from horsemanship to cow working.

Regarding our own horses: we have a varied bunch…

The main man is Apollo – an 11 yr old  British Warmblood who I bred from my first horse Cherie with the aim of eventing. Unfortunately due to my own injuries ( following a rotational fall form Cherie) we now mainly keep 4 feet on the ground. He is highly intelligent and has an enormous and entertaining personality. He is a horse that ensures you pay attention to detail and get everything just right… he provides daily learning opportunities!!

Velvet is a 12yrs Appaloosa mare who started my journey into bitting. We bought her as a yearling companion. She was an easy horse to back and start but took a while to settle with any bit and I rode her for some time bitless.  We gradually transitioned to using a bit and this piqued my interest in bitting and led me to undertake further training which has developed into a business and the  eventual development of the APBBF.

Leonidas is a 12 yrs Black Arab, who has been with us 3 years now, having a slightly chequered past and was previously produced as a stallion. (My favourite film when I was a child was of course “The Black Stallion”).  I am developing his ridden work and he is improving my skills of in-hand training having learnt most lateral work from the ground. He is also a great hack, brilliant with young riders and star of a horsemanship DVD.

Cookie is a “Connemara” who we bought as 3 year old who had come through the York Sales and backed.  He never stopped growing and has finished up as a dependable 16.2hh ISH all rounder.