I would like to share the story of a horse who needed a home, a home that needed a horse and the gifted woman who has brought us together, forever.
My name is Rachel, I am in my late 20’s and after moving to my first property I was finally able to have a horse again, a privilege I had gone without for more than 10 years. I had been riding since I could remember however I always rode chilled out, easy horses or ponies and enjoyed pleasure rides on my quiet horses, never pushing the envelope and learning more than the basics.

So the time came to start looking for a horse, where do you start and who do you trust, the equine industry can be like a mine field with advice coming from every which way. A friend who volunteered at an RSPCA shelter showed me a photo of this regular looking bay horse who was up for adoption, against the advice from some horsey friends I went to see him and was told I should speak to Karen White, she is a horse trainer who has worked with him. There is a stigma attached to ‘Rescue’ or ‘Damaged’ animals however I thought I would make my own mind up on this horse. I had never met or even heard of Karen, however, from the first phone call I could tell that she was genuine in what she said and I trusted her to tell me straight whether she thought we would be a good match. I decided to give this horse a go, so Jägermeister found himself in a new home.

Jager was a 10 year old ex-race horse who had been at the RSCPA for over twelve months, I do not know his history for legal reasons however it obviously wasn’t always rosy. Karen worked alongside the RSPCA with the horses that needed help, once they are physically healthy, to assess whether they would be eligible for adoption. Jager lived at Mohegan for over four weeks and underwent intensive training and assessment to see whether he would be a safe riding horse, so Karen knew his strengths and weaknesses and was in a good position to advise on a potential new home.

Karen offered to work with Jager and I, to assist him in finding a forever home and to help me train and learn with him. After our first session at Mohegan together and the first time I had ridden Jager, Karen approached me and said ‘It’s ok, I can see what’s happening, he is showing me what you’re dealing with’. With that I burst into tears. I hadn’t realised that troubles in my past, traumatic events, would affect my horse riding but of course they did, as they affect every part of our lives. Horses are so intuitive to our emotions and energy and Karen can read them so well, it is like a communication path. Throughout my training with Jager I had to learn how to be a strong, assertive leader, otherwise this strong willed horse would walk all over me. This isn’t something that came naturally to me, in fact the thought of standing up to this big powerful animal terrified me, and he knew it.

After more than twelve months of regular training at Mohegan and a lot of work at home, Jager and I are now a dream team. With her expertise and gifts with horses and her compassion for both humans and animals alike, Karen has helped me in more ways than I can mention. I have gained a wealth of knowledge about training horses and understanding their behaviour as well as regained my self-confidence in life and become a far better rider than I ever imagined I would. As for Jager, he is a total super star now. We attended our first beginner’s show recently and won 6 ribbons plus Champion Rescue Horse, he is a relaxed happy horse out on the trials, in the arena and as a part of our little family with his best buddy, Rugar the Dobermann, by his side.

Without Karen, Jager would not have found a home and the life he deserves, I would not have found such an amazing horse and I would not have the privilege of knowing such a gifted and talented woman.