From the horse’s mouth by John Denyer
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HERE is a community in Probus that while not large, is very noticeable and arguably, an intrinsic part of village life. The community I'm referring to is the equestrians, the owners and riders of horses. There are paddocks, stables and liveries scattered all around Probus. In fact, there are more horses in the vicinity than you may imagine. Over the past few weeks, I met up and interviewed some of the horse owners and riders at various locations around the village. The intent was to get a better understanding of who these people are, and what motivates them to own and ride horses. It turned out to be a delight, a real education for a townie like me.
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First up was Michelle Way, aged 24, a newly qualified paediatric nurse who works at RCH Treliske. Michelle has owned Bayden, a 24-year-old since she was a child. Michelle usually goes to the stable twice every day, depending upon her shifts. In the summer her horses live in the paddock overnight and are put into the stables during the day. This reverses in the winter. Her routine is to feed the horses, groom them, check them over, muck out the stables (or pick up the poo from the paddock) and walk them either in the paddock or the stable. Michelle says that horses are intelligent animals who thrive on attention and human contact. Each has its own personality. Bayden hasn't had the best of health recently, and Michelle can no longer ride him herself. Instead, you may spot him being ridden around the village by Olivia, the 11-year old daughter of Darren and Andrea from Cuskayne Farm where he stables. Michelle recently purchased Toffee, a three-year-
