Suzanne's Page

Born January 28th 1960, danced with a troupe in front of 2,000 people and Murray Cash’s band at the Pavilion in Hemel Hempstead when I was 14.  Married and bought my first property at the age of 17!  Had a baby daughter at the age of 18.  Started my own business at 28, a recruitment agency which is still running today having sold it once!  Divorced at 30, baby son with my new partner at 32 and married again at 38.  Written a book at 42, published poetry and entered in to Poet of the Year Symposium in Hollywood at 43.  Now at the tender age of 45, I’m achieving a childhood dream of owning my own horse and competing.  Who says life is about money and not memories!  Who says I am impulsive – I’m just grabbing life with both hands and making the most of this treasured journey.

The Road to Flame!

Well, this is my story.   I’m writing it to remind myself why I have travelled along this road and the journey it took to get us here.  A kind of diary if you like of my personal motivation, determination and childhood ambition realised. Flame is my new family member; she is a 10year old Welsh/Thoroughbred Palomino mare that I have just bought after much searching and against all the wishes of my friends and family.  Not least my husband who is now refusing to talk to me about her or anything I want to do with her.  He is also trying to put obstacles in the way of me spending time with her.  So, let me begin by talking to you about me! I am a 44 year old mother of two, my daughter is 26 and still at home (for now anyway and I’m quite pleased on the one hand, but feel she needs her own place now) and my son who is 12 and not at all interested in horses (heavily influenced by his father to be quite rude about my new hobby).

I have run my own business, a recruitment agency for the last 16 years, supported my second husband through various job redundancies and his extremely hostile ex-wife and son and daughter, kept a roof over our heads and successfully sued a solicitor for negligence and gained us much financial stability. So, yes I feel that I need my own space now to do the things that I could not do when I was younger and when I was concentrating on building up my home and finances to be able to do just this now. However, most of my! friends and family have been trying to put me off this idea since I started returning to riding earlier this year. They think that I’m going to need a small mortgage to keep a horse, will fall off and break my back, neck and anything else. My attitude is that I’ll give us a year, see how we go and if it is beyond me and Flame, then I’ll have to think again and let her go to a home that can do her justice. To deny me this pleasure is to not really understand me and the need to keep occupied with a challenge. We’ll have to prove everyone wrong.

During a brief winter break watching the Stars in Devon, I took the opportunity to visit Kate Mably.  Kate invited me down to ride one of her Lusitano horses called Quiebro.  Quiebro was fantastic if a little too clever!  He is very springy in canter, but lovely.  A bottle of Champagne rested on me being able to do flying lead changes and well, let's just say that Kate won that one!!!!  I thoroughly enjoyed my visit, it helped me to focus on what I need to be achieving.  I will be visiting Kate again in April, hopefully, and can recommend her for a no nonsense uplifting lesson.