A new season is getting under way at Wynbury. The horses have come in from their summer holidays and look well and happy. A quick five minutes in the indoor school the other morning and a tour round the yard led to a few which stood out. Nina De Sivola looked amazingly well with a shiny coat and full of beans. Big Burrows seems to have filled out and look even bigger than before and Kalahari King also seems to have grown. He has Jade back as his carer so he will be happy as there is a strong bond between the pair of them.
A new season also means some new horses and new staff as well as those who are returning after the so-called summer. I shall talk to Ferdy in more detail about the new horses and on his advice, seek one out to follow along with Kalahari King’s second season.
This season sees Becky, (Bex), as the central point of contact in the office doing everything and anything to keep the Wynbury wheels turning smoothly. At 19 years of age this is some awesome responsibility. Despite Ferdy’s humour about weaning her from being a “daddy’s girl”, there is no doubt that she has risen to the challenge and is doing an excellent job. I would assess that either one has to have a wealth of life experience or have a degree of naivety to cope with such a job. There is much pressure, black humour, and a need to be able to keep a rational head on one’s shoulders. Bex is an independent young lady with a mind of her own.
For one so young she has a mature outlook and attitude and an ability, when required, not to take matters to heart. She describes her parents as being “allergic” to horses! A younger brother who, after falling over a horse’s head in a lesson quickly gave up riding and concentrated his efforts on a different sort of flying through the air – now applying to join the RAF.
Bex believes that her absorption with horses may have come from her grandfather who had an interest in horses. At 8 years of age she went to Walter Gott’s stable yard to ask if she could ride out for him. Walter Gott became involved in racing in the 1980s when he was confined to a wheelchair. He has had much success with horses such as Addington Boy, trained by Ferdy, who came fourth in the 1999 Martell Grand National. The owner of the yard had two ponies that Bex began to ride on. Very quickly she went on to take riding lessons and then achieve her goal of riding out on thoroughbreds from the yard.
The first horse of her own was Quest, a 15hand ex flat horse who took a while to “chill out” and settle down. He was, from Bex’s description, a much loved challenge. Using Natural Horsemanship techniques, which she has continued to use with all the horses she has worked with, she and Quest went on to compete in a full range of disciplines.
In response to the question as to “which was the best horse she ever worked with?” The reply was “Seasquill”. Originally from New Zealand and bought by Ferdy in Dubai. He was nine years of age when she got him and did everything with him, showjumping, crosscountry, and dressage until last year when he was retired to live with a local lady and just enjoys gentle hacking out.
Bex is currently working with a horse in the yard. Her natural horsemanship skills have paid dividends in helping the horse to have more confidence, as he was very nervous when he first arrived at Wynbury. He has now “joined up” so well with her that when he meets a difficult situation he will stand behind her and look to her for guidance!
Her natural horsemanship skills have been shown to be useful to friends and neighbours in the area of Lancaster, where her family home is. When she is there she often receives calls for help to catch horses that refuse to be caught by their owners. She has endless patience in such circumstances never giving up on the task. That mindset being an essential quality of being successful in the practice of natural horsemanship skills.
Bex came into her current work more by chance than by design. In her 6th form she took A level Geography, Economics and Environmental Science and English Language at AS Level. Her pass marks were good enough to secure her a place at University with the aim of studying real estate management. Being still unsure that this what she wanted to do she decided to take a year out and found work at an estate agents to get work experience which would help make up her mind on a career path.
It was whilst working there that the job at Ferdy’s became vacant. She jumped at the chance and challenge and,so far, has not regretted it. Her work with Walter Gott’s horses was of considerable benefit towards giving her a foundation of knowledge about racing and thoroughbreds. Her parents were happy for her to follow this path as it combines her passion for horses and work. She resides, on site at the yard, and, as such, is on 24 hour call.
The other advantage, to her, of being on site is getting her “fix” spending time with the horse “out of hours”. The horse she has currently been working with receives nocturnal visits and has certainly contributed to the bond between the pair. She describes it as being, “the best moment in her life”, when she met this horse so, it must be very special. This attitude confirms that she finds her role at Wynbury fulfilling. It is all consuming with her expressing no time for and no interest in relationships. I am sure there are a few sad faces at this news! As she says, “if you take this up as a career be prepared to give up everything. Social life etc. and become part of an extended family.”
Bex highlights the Grand National as the most exciting race to watch but, like many people, it makes her very nervous particularly for the safety of the horses and the jockeys. This was never more so when she watched Joe’s Edge go round the course. Would she ever put a horse she owned into the race? Only if she was 100% sure of the capacity of the horse to cope with the course and its hazards and with the right jockey on board.
The right jockey is Graham Lee, whose attitude to the horses and riding skills she admires. She describes him coming into the yard to get to know the horses and learning about how they are on the ground before riding them out. It is his quietness when riding that impresses her and his ability to bring out the best in a horse without undue pressure at the wrong time. He builds a rapport with the horses and they enjoy working with him.
Bex is always welcoming on the telephone and to the constant throughput of visitors to the yard. Her indpendent streak is of value when being part of an extended family as it helps her to stand back and assess situations and be professional. It has been a pleasure to talk to her and to work with her.
The articles that will be coming up over the next few weeks will be about the new Assistant Trainer, Zoe Murphy; an interview with Keith Mercer; a day out at the races with the travelling head lass, Helen; learning more about this season’s head lass in the yard, Charley and much more about the horses. We would welcome any feedback or comment that you may have on email to ferdysfriends@googlemail.com