** 2018 update!- Thank you to everyone who commented your lovely words of support. All comments are now disabled because I'm fed up of having to deal with stupid keyboard warriors. Yes, I am well aware that I could have done some things differently, but guess what? I'm not as perfect as you. Whether you enjoyed this video or not or makes absolutely no difference to the fact that Romeo is now one of the most successful performance Arabians around. Since posting this 4 years ago we've achieved so much more- He's won out affiliated showing, elementary level dressage, eventing, showjumping, hunter trials and in 2016 was the #2 performance Arabian in the UK performance awards. We've won a silver medal and went RASS bronze champions at the UK International, won at the national championships, were reserve purebred champions in the 2018 Arabian Ball Awards, 2nd in-hand & 5th ridden British champion gelding at the British championships and that's just a tiny snippet of our achievements this year alone. He has turned out to be an incredibly successful and versatile horse and is absolutely my horse of a lifetime. Please don't forget that these videos are from several years ago now when I was young and still very much learning. Yes, we probably could have done some things differently, but ultimately it makes no odds as he's a ridiculously happy and successful horse and your hypocritical and jealous comments are never going to change that :-). Thank you to the majority of you for your very kind and touching comments. I am overwhelmed by the response to this video. How it's reached 250,000 views I don't know! Thank you! ♥ **
"Why have you got him? He's an Arab and Arabs don't jump, they are supposed to be shown, not used for dressage or jumping".
"He'll be flighty and unpredictable"
"You'll never win anything with him, he'll never be good enough"
Those were just some of the things people said to me when I first got Romeo 3 1/2 years ago, and at times, I almost believed them.
The first time I tried to take him to Pony club he wouldn't jump any of the jumps and he reared up and fell over backwards when we tried to box him, but it was because he didn't trust us.
For some reason, he was so, so reluctant to trust, it took me such a long time for him to realise that he could trust us.
He had just got back from being out on full loan to someone when I got him and he hadn't done that much, he didn't have much muscle and looked a bit scruffy! I had only been riding just over 3 years, so I knew we were going to have to teach each other along the way.
Slowly, we started to build a bond, both of us had to learn to trust each other, he had to trust me that I was asking him to do something he was capable of, and I had to trust him to do it!
It's been a very frustrating journey at times, just when I thought we had got somewhere we'd have to start all over again, but I knew deep down that we could do it, we just had to keep trying.
Over the years he started to build up muscle, meaning that he found the work easier, and when I moved yards I found a perfect instructor for me, someone who wasn't going to praise you and tell you it was great when it really wasn't, someone who had goals and ambition and really understood me and Romeo. He started to work in a true frame and relax on the flat, I was absolutely thrilled.
We used to come last in every dressage test we attempted, but the last dressage I took him to he came 4th in the prelim with 63% and won the novice with 65%!
We have also as of 2014 started eventing! Although dressage isn't his strongest point, his scores have improved every single time and still going up! We rode in the Tweseldown Horse Trials in April 2014 at BE80 (T) height, and it was our biggest competition to date. We completed the day and came 24th out of 43, something which I never imagined possible. Since then we have placed in every single event since!!!
This horse is completely unrecognisable from what he used to be. I never imagined that we would have achieved what we have together. From a horse that threw his head around everywhere to winning novice dressage, and from a horse that wouldn't jump a cross-pole to galloping round a BE80 cross-country course, he has changed beyond belief.
We have an amazingly strong bond now and trust each other so much, I don't know where I would be without him!
My A-level exams have finally finished, so I am back out competing and enjoying every second with him!! :D
It has taken 3 1/2 years of hard flipping work to get where we have, but I wouldn't change it for the world. He has taught me so much and we continue to learn more each day :)
He will always, always have such a special place in my heart xx
P.s yes that is him neighing at the beginning!! :)