Hello! And welcome to Keen Equestrian!

Some would say I was quite late to the party with getting into horses, I wasn’t one of these fortunate people who could “ride before they walked” or had family that were particularly into horses so it was really never something I thought I would end up falling in love with and making my long-term career.

My Mom did however have lessons at a local riding school before she had me, and when that riding school was closing down and selling off the horses my Nan and Grandad brought “Sinbad” the horse she rode each week. As you can imagine by the time I came to ride him he was in in 20’s and wasn’t up for whizzing around having spent his life in a riding school, I rather think he was hoping for more of the quite life! So, for the remainder of his days we just had gentle little hacks out around the lanes and eating cornflakes together on my Nan and Grandads front garden! (I have a pic of this and I will WhatsApp it you , if it will fit in somewhere might be nice to add that in here)

 I went through school with no real interest of horses and when it was time to leave school I got a job in retail and worked my way up to management. It was a really fun time of my life and definitely taught me some valuable life lessons, but after spending around 8 years doing this I thought it was time for a change. So very randomly I brought an Estate Agency franchise (I will give anything a try once!) but that wasn’t for me so I sold it 18 months later. But what this did do was give me some flexibility in my working hours and I remember one day calling my mom to say I was booking myself some lessons at a local riding stables. I think I just wanted to have ago, I had no intention of it going any further than that.

I wouldn’t say patience is my strongest suit and as soon as I get an idea in my head that’s it, I go with it, I don’t know if it’s a good or a bad thing?! So, from having a few lessons I realised I wanted my own horse to love and go out and have fun with…so of course the sensible thing to do here would be buy an unbacked pony! Not! But that’s what I did and I’m so glad I did. I remember taking my dad with me to see him and him saying “oh he looks nice, he seems nice” ...that’s as in depth and through as our viewing was! But I’m pleased to say he was the best purchase I ever made and taught t me so much.

I was very lucky to find a good BHS instructor where I was keeping my new pony Bailey and she helped me break him in, show me the basics and get me on the path to doing my exams. Over the next year or so I did my BHS knowledge and care, BHS level 1 riding and care and worked on breaking in my pony Bailey. I had also brought another breaker at this point, just to make sure I could replicate what I did with Bailey, to make sure it wasn’t a fluke! I also had brought and sold a few other horses along the way and began to go out competing locally. 

I had been on a few yards at this point, picked up things I liked, things I didn’t and felt I could do quite a nice job of running my own yard. In 2015 after months of viewing plots of land, I found where I created “Little Acres Equestrian”, in Stourport. I fell in love with its location, the size and just what I felt I could do with it, it was perfect for me. My ambitions of doing more BHS exams had to be put on hold while I put all my efforts into setting up Little Acres.

It took me around a year to get all the permissions, build everything and start advertising livery spaces. I did some market research before I brought the land but I was overwhelmed at the interest I had and was so glad people liked what I had to offer, so soon filled all my spaces. I called it “Little Acres” because of its size (initially it was 4 acres) now it’s around 12! Maybe I will have to change the name to “not so little acres!”

As I started to meet new people, instructors and learn more skills by working with so many types of horses, I began to be able to help people with problems or training issues they were having. I was amazed at the knowledge I had picked up and that people were coming to me for advice! For a good 2 years I just worked the yard by myself, building up the business and just learning from anyone I could – YouTube, books, lessons, courses, you name it, I was doing it!

I began to form my own opinions on topics and how I liked to do things rather than just accepting what I had been told. I remember one day calling one of my liveries who I had been helping with her horse and asking her If I could give her a free lesson to get some feedback. She was so receptive and loved my lesson and the ideas I had for coaching, it really gave me the push I needed to go ahead to get my level 2 equine coaching certificate and begin coaching other people. 

From Little Acres I offer lessons in Dressage, Show Jumping, Cross Country and horse knowledge and care. The livery yard is going from strength to strength and I am so excited for it’s future. 

 I like to think no matter where you are in life there’s always time to change the course you’re on, with a little vision, determination and hard work.

 “It always seems impossible until its done” Nelson Mandela.