With courses, horse help, membership (including a fantastic magazine and over 40 hours of online footage availabe to members), Intelligent Horsemanship has been helping horses and their owners for over 20 years.

I’ve been a member of the Intelligent Horsemanship, from the very beginning. I remember, really early on, discussions with people about how this behavioural stuff was a fad, it would soon pass by. I achieved my Monty Roberts Preliminary Certificate in Horsemanship in 1998. That’s 22 years ago now. The fad is still going strong!

To be fair, I think that I learnt the vast majority of my equine behavioural skills through growing up with horses, and through living with a gypsy horse dealer, Henry, for five years. At home, I worked my way through Pony Club and Riding Club. We bred foals, I backed youngsters. At one point, we even had the rights to run ponies on The New Forest. We kept our horses at home, and caring for them was my first and last job every day. Along with caring for the dogs, the cats, the guinea pigs, and whatever else we had at the time. I consider myself to have a very lucky kid!

Living with Henry, I could hear the horses munching their hay as I lay in my bed at night, that’s how close they were. I worked with everything from Shetlands to Shires, International showjumpers to selling to the knacker man. We had mares running with stallions, and horses who have never been handled. We rode and drove. We bought from and sold to the sales, the market, and the general public. I learned fast, because I had to! I genuinely believe that without that experience, I would not be able to offer as much to the horses and owners that I meet.

Being a member of the Intelligent Horsemanship Association has been a huge part of my life. There are so many treasured memories. One day, I’ll write a book!

© Sue Palmer, The Horse Physio 2021

Treating your horse with care, connection, curiosity and compassion

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www.intelligenthorsemanship.co.uk