Levi's Story
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No one else could ride him for a start with he wouldn’t let them get on!! My toolbox obviously wasn’t as extensive as I thought it was, so my search began for answers. Levi humbled me more than any other horse I had previously worked with. His body was capable, but it seemed his mind was uncooperative. Lots of reading and researching led me to becoming interested in groundwork but no one really seemed to transfer these skills on to competitive ridden work. I started my search to look for a coach to guide me into this whole new world of learning and I was extremely lucky to contact Claire Gallimore, and she was happy to take me on as a client. What a learning journey I’ve been on, Claire opened my eyes and encouraged me to look at my horses in a completely different way. I had to remain opened minded from the beginning as I’d never interacted with my horses in this way and at times especially in the first few sessions, I was having to take a leap of faith and trust Claire.
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The results were, in a word, AMAZING!! I learnt how to communicate with Levi through the groundwork patterns and eventually the tool work to enable him to find relaxation and trust. This allowed the energy he had to flow freely through his body, and he found his way forward, firstly on the ground and then through to the ridden work. There was no more undesirable behaviour just a happy horse that enjoyed his work both with me on board and a couple of trusted friends. I was hooked and began to introduce the groundwork to all my horses with no less amazing results. It is a system that is a process and a way of being. There is no trickery or a magic wand, but it is a fulfilling and heartwarming journey to embark on with any horse and every horse can benefit. Sadly, there was no fairytale competitive success for Levi and me. He devastatingly developed an incurable disorder in 2024, and I had to make the decision to say goodbye to him.
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Levi never made the competition horse I had hoped for when mum and I found him but the knowledge, skills and understanding I have developed, and continue to, are an invaluable legacy he has left me with, because of Levi I am now able to help my clients understand their horses. It is also important to understand that horses don’t have to be difficult to benefit with this type of work. It can help all horses for various reasons which is partly why it is such an exciting experience for everyone involved to partake in that wants to enjoy their horse either at home or alongside competitive success. I’m excited to share how crucial it is to really understand the horses we are working with and have the tools to help us all own horses who always have a relaxed mind and body.
When we choose a horse, we essentially buy a dream. We hope with time, patience and dedication that dream will become a reality. In 2018 my mum became poorly, and she decided she wanted to buy me a young horse that I could train and compete on in the future. Together we found a beautiful chestnut gelding with the kindest temperament, great confirmation and good breeding. He was in fact the only horse from his herd that approached mum and interacted with her in her wheelchair, so he essentially chose us. However, our journey going forward wasn’t as idyllic. He was backed as a late 4yr old and was quietly ridden away as a 5yr old. Towards the end of his 5th year, he became tricky, difficult and frustrating. He was thoroughly checked over by my vet, physio and chiropractor and had correctly fitting saddlery and there was nothing that could be found wrong with him. I was lucky that I had a vast range of experience and knowledge and was able to navigate my way around most of the interesting scenarios he put me in. These included refusing to walk to the mounting block, walking backwards each time I tried to get on, leaning on the fence and sliding down it until he and I were inches off the ground and napping. He then started taking this behaviour to the handling, refusing to go in his stable, to come out of his stable, go into the wash area, not loading in the lorry and so the list went on. I could walk, trot, canter, do lateral work and he had a green change, we could hack out and canter in the fields, but his behaviour wasn’t right and I knew he wasn’t really happy.