| Sophie Ostler |
 |
|
I was born in 1979, in Bristol to parents Chris and Andrew Prescott. Before I was a year old my family moved to Somerset; to a very small place called Drayton, near to the village of South Petherton. Drayton consisted of two farms, and two cottages. We lived in one of the cottages. | |
| It was on one of the farms 'Flaxdrayton Farm', where I discovered horses. Some of my fondest memories are of this place.
It was home to my first love, a big retired beautiful dun horse called 'Leverette'. I spent hours brushing him and sitting on him bareback. I was devestated when he passed away. |
|
 Leverette | |
| After school I would ride my bike to neighbouring farms and help fill haynets and clean tack until after dark, I just wanted to be around horses.
I would then pedal home as fast as I could - I was terrified of the dark. I started having riding lessons at North Perrot Riding Stables - I was addicted. I hung a haynet in our garden shed in the hope a pony might one day appear. | |
|
At weekends I would hack out a friends pony called Storm, he was in his twenties and every time I rode him, without fail - he would bolt home.
It became a regular sight for the villagers, they would see us plod past outwardbound at a snails pace, me encouraging Storm with every step, until finally my legs would ache so much I'd turn him for home... me and Storm 'The Woolly Mammoth' charging through the village at break-neck speed, it must have been a funny sight. There was no stopping him, once or twice I landed in a hedge and Storm would arrive home before me, clattering into the yard with me later following behind, big grin on my face. Oh, to be young again. |
 Storm |
|
I learnt equine body language by watching horses. In particular, when I was twelve years old a little chestnut pony called Max taught me how to lunge, I wasn't thinking about what was happening at the time, I was just reacting to his body language and him to mine... then I saw Monty Roberts on Blue Peter, I jumped out of my chair excitedly saying "That's what I do!"
I left school telling my teachers I didn't need qualifications, because I was going to work with horses! | |
| My first job was as a working pupil in an Equestrian Centre in Yeovil. I worked 50 hours a week, my wage was 50p per hour with my BHS examination fee's paid for me. All of my wage was spent on the bus ride to and from work.
I missed the bus once and had to walk three hours to get home! I was head hunted for a job with Race horses, at Richard Barber's yard in Seaborough, Dorset. I loved every minute of it. When I started at Seaborough my Mother bought me some Hunter wellies. When we exercised on the gallops and pulled our horses up at the end we found Richard Barber roaring with laughter, tears rolling down his cheeks, he said I looked like a scarecrow on horseback, I was so offended! |
|
 Kings of Wessex - Little Windsor, Dorset | |
| I was particularly fond of a horse in my charge named Chillywood. He was bottom of the food chain, one of the most pathetic of all the horses. When I first started riding him, his topline from his tail to his ears was as straight as an arrow.
Over time his shape improved immensely, he got faster and started winning races - and that's when I lost the ride on him, I was gutted. | |
 Chillywood (Timber) | |
|
In the late nineties I lived in North Carolina, USA. I worked on two farms, a Hanovarian Stud Honey Locust Farm owned by the wonderful Lucile Mulky and a riding school Finnabar Farm owned by the equally wonderful Patricia Kiffney, where I taught riding lessons, schooled horses and ponies and co-ran a summer camp for kids. I trained with Horse Whisperers, and started taking in problem ponies for sorting. In 1999 Pat, Lucile and myself found ourselves on the run from Hurricane Floyd, but that's another story... When I returned from America I relocated from the south west to the east midlands. I got a job in a factory, where I stayed (stagnated) for three years. During this time I studied horse psychology and physiology, but barely came within a hundred yards of any horses. Then I met my husband Paul - I told him of my experiences and about my plans for working with horses again; he told me to stop dreaming and start doing... so, I quit my factory job and started training horses again.  Paul bought me Karis, a two year old welsh sec D pony, finally I'd achieved my childhood dream of owning my own pony! We later had to sell her to pay the mortgage. It turned out to be 'too little, too late' and we ended up leaving the comforts of our home behind and living in a horsebox... That's cutting a very long story short, over the years I have worked in many yards, with Dressage horses, and Show Jumpers. At last count I have had 37 jobs! I'll save the rest of the story for my Autobiography ;-) Life is good now, we live in a house for a start! We share our home with Buddy, the bouncy "fluffball" German shepherd, there's also Twoie the "highly trained" Goldfish (there was a Oneie once..) and Snowy the "in-training" dwarf hamster. I am a proud vegetarian and have a great empathy for all animals. My lifelong dream has always been to own a farm - I'm yet to achive that one.
 | |