‘The best chance I’ve ever taken’: horse deemed too dangerous to ride transformed into team chasing star with HOYS hopes

The owner of a pony who was the subject of a loss-of-use insurance payout as he was deemed too dangerous to ride wants to share his story to show how “the right understanding, management, and partnership can transform a horse’s life”.

Astynn Cadman only bought Connemara Blue last summer because she was worried about what might become of him, or to any children who might ride him in future. The pair are now out trail-hunting and team chasing, and Blue is “keen, genuine and absolutely loving it”.

“I’ve had horses my whole life, and I’ve never met a horse like him,” Astynn told H&H. “He is absolutely incredible.”

Astynn said everyone who rode Blue in his previous home was coming off and that when extensive veterinary checks found no issues, he was the subject of a loss-of-use payout as he was seen as too dangerous to ride.

“He was bucking, rearing, lunging at you, being bolshy on the floor, walking through you,” she said.

“I saw the previous owner’s post on Facebook; she was very honest about all his issues and I’m one of those psychotic horse women who thought ‘I can change him’. I’d really lost my confidence on my horse; I’d had quite a few bad falls, and I just wanted something I could spend all day and every day with, to just enjoy and just be my happy-go-lucky, fun horse.

“And I was worried about what would happen if I didn’t try. I decided to take a chance on him and honestly, it’s the best chance I’ve ever taken.”

Blue arrived at the start of July last year, and it was not the most auspicious beginning.

“Everybody, because everyone was here when he arrived, was saying ‘What the hell have you bought?’” Astynn said.

“On the ground, he was really nervous and under saddle – the first time I got on him, I ended up over his ears. We took him in the school, and the first thing he did was try to throw everybody off. I was thinking ‘What have I got myself into?’ Every ride, it seemed you put your leg over and ended up on the other side.”

Astynn said she is surrounded by people who have extensive experience in backing horses so after an array of veterinary checks, they went back to basics, spending weeks re-backing long-reining and working from the ground.

“I’d say by November, he was a nice rideable horse,” she said.

“We took him team-chasing and being able to run with a team, no one holding on to him, that’s what clicked for him, he was a different horse. He went that first time, then he did the whole season, and it’s changed his life. He’s so mannerly; we have children who now take him out hunting too.”

And the process helped Astynn as much as it did Blue; she had lost confidence from falls from her bigger mare, who turned out to have discomfort that has now been treated. So going back to basics and building the relationship meant they made progress together.

“He’s brought all my confidence back and it’s been amazing,” Astynn said.

“He hunts every week, he team-chases at intermediate level – if he was taller, we’d open team-chase him but unfortunately, he doesn’t meet the height requirement – and he’s running in a couple of hunt scurries in the next couple of weeks.

“He’s a once in a lifetime animal; he feels like an absolute machine. He’s 14.2hh so you’re riding him into these hedges about 1.40m and there’s this ping, and you’re over the other side. I don’t think anything matches it, in my opinion. He’s absolutely incredible.”

Astynn said seeing Blue go from what he was to a pony enjoying what he does so much has been very rewarding, and she believes Blue’s story shows what can be possible.

“They can be hope,” she said. “I didn’t know what it meant if they’re loss of use. Horses aren’t nasty creatures; if they’re lashing out, it’s normally to try to tell you something, so you don’t know if they’re lame or have back problems. With him, he can’t be insured now due to his behaviour, but he’s still so physically capable, yeah and if somebody was to meet him now, they’d say ‘What the hell are you talking about?’

“He’s here for life now. Other people’s children now come and steal him, and I’ve never been so happy. Other people are riding your horse, and I think ‘You’re like that because I managed to change you and that 10-year-old kid’s going for a hack down the lane, and is safe’. It’s incredible.”

Astynn’s aim for this year is to contest working hunter Horse of the Year Show qualifiers.

“That’s the dream,” she said.

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