What makes a great horse great?
I had the ‘horse-bug’ since I was a little girl, I started riding the ponies at a club close to our house and when I turned 12 my parents took me to another stable so I could ride the ‘big’ horses.
I never had my own horse when I was young but I met so many great ones and all of them will have a special place in my heart forever.
The answer to “What makes a great horse great” is different for every rider I guess; I like my horses forward but controllable, I like levelheaded horses, sensible and calm, I like confident horses who are happy to go out on their own and I like silly goofy horses that make me laugh 😊
My first love was a small and very cheeky Welsh pony called Witteke (Little White in Flemish), I learned very quickly that if you can ride a pony you can ride anything. We spent so much time just standing in the middle of the arena at first because the little monster simply refused to move a foot for me.
This little guy taught me how to sit tight, he taught me the right way to ‘persuade’ a horse to cooperate and he taught me patience. And he was always gentle enough so that I didn’t get hurt learning all that important stuff.
My second love was a young mare called lady, she had the reputation of being difficult and people didn’t like her much because she spooked a lot. But me and her we got along incredibly well, she trusted me and I didn’t want to ride any other horse but her.
This sweet girl taught me what an amazing feeling it is when a horse finally trusts you and doesn’t question anything you ask of her, she taught me what an amazing feeling it is to be greeted loudly upon arrival at the stable. And she taught me how much fun it is to go really fast 😊
Later an old gelding called Cognac came into my life, his owner was in the hospital and I was asked if I could take care of his horse and ride him. He was a funny horse, old and wise but still full of energy.
Cognac taught me how it feels to ‘own’ a horse, he wasn’t really mine but as his owner wasn’t around so I fantasized he was my own horse. He was the bigger version of that stubborn little Welsh pony and he taught me patience and perseverance.
Then came a funny Haflinger gelding named Samson, he had always been used as a carriage horse so when he arrived at the stables and we decided to turn him into a school pony he was determined to show off his rodeo skills. Eventually he realized it took a lot less energy to just trot along nicely and he turned into a fun horse to ride. He was very strong willed and he didn’t warm up to everyone but for some reason he liked me so I was one of the lucky ones, me and him enjoyed many hours out on the trails.
This horse taught me how amazing it feels when you are chosen as their special person, he also taught me not to get upset when it had taken me an hour to braid his beautiful long main and he decided he was going to ruin all my hard work just because he could.
Over the years during my holidays I have been lucky enough to meet and ride so many absolutely fantastic horses; a beautiful Lusitano called Iraq in Portugal, the sweetest Berber stallion called Calin in Morocco, a stunning Arab called Ronaldo in Egypt, a lovely mare called Steiny in South Africa who wasn’t a big fan of giraffes, a goofy mare called Charlize in Croatia who reminded me so much of my own horse, and so so many other great horses.
And then … then there was Welcome Hope, a small Arabian mare in Namibia, the most amazingly beautiful soul I ever met. I can’t explain why this little mare instantly captured my heart and I can’t explain why every time I talk about her I get emotional but she was special, so sensitive and so sweet and so trusting, she was that one horse I wish I could take home with me.
And now I’m lucky enough to live in Jordan and I finally have my own horses. Even before I moved here in 2004 I met a horse that would become my first ‘own’ horse. We called him Sticky, don’t ask me why but the name suited him well 😊 He was a beautiful gelding with the attitude of a stallion, he was a drama queen with a huge ego and he was definitely a handful but I loved him. He taught me that I always had to be ‘present’ and awake. He taught me to stand my ground, to have confidence and not to be a pushover. And maybe most importantly, he taught me how important it is to always wear the right underwear and how painful it could be if you didn’t 😛
After Sticky came Texas, a sweet little mare who gave me the most beautiful gift in the world, the horsey love of my life: Nido. Texas and I had an instant connection, she was very eager to please and she was always well behaved. If you would ask Eid, he will tell you a whole different story...
When Texas was in heat nothing could stop her to get to a stallion, one day she parallel parked herself in front of one with Eid still in the saddle, it goes without saying he wasn’t amused 😀
But that is exactly how I ended up with my Nido in 2007. Sadly we lost Texas to acute colic when Nido was 6 weeks old and so I bottle fed the little guy until he was 3 months old. I had never had a foal before and I was terrified of all the things that could possibly go wrong. I was definitely thankful for all the important lessons I got from all the fantastic horses in my life and Nido and I figured it all out together. He was very forgiving and patient with me and I tried my best to teach him how to be a well behaved little horse.
He’s one of our most experienced trail horses, he goes on about sixteen 6-day Petra – Wadi Rum rides per year and he goes on countless shorter rides here in the mountains. He needs a specific type of rider so I ‘handpick’ his riders for him but when it's a good match he makes them very happy.
Nido is 100% what I think is a great horse; he’s forward and happy to go, he’s confident, totally bombproof, sensible, and VERY goofy 😊
About 1 in 10 horses that we buy and try for our trail riding business are good enough for the job both mentally and physically. Sometimes horses surprise us in a positive way and sometimes they’re just not up for it and the search for great ones always continues.
