Hoofprints & Headaches (Chapter 1)

Diary of A Horse Dad.

CHAPTER 1 - Vol 1

"Introduction from a new horse dad" 

So, apparently, I'm a horse dad now. Let that sink in. A horse dad. Me. The guy who knows absolutely nothing about horses and the same guy who once thought "equine" was a fancy word for "equal."

Many of you will know me as Chris, Charlotte’s other half, the guy that reigns her in (hey look at me with the lingo) but in all honesty, I’m as mad into horses now as she has been all her life. 

So how did It all start for me? How did I become a horse dad? Well, it all started (as these things often do) with an act of willingness to go meet one of Charlotte’s hobby horses, Players Please. I envisioned a gentle, maybe slightly dusty, pony ride around a small paddock, maybe a run on a beach type of horse. Hmm… what I did not envision was a “bitey”, “kicky” and “ruin several coats, hoodies and jackets experience” because Player thought it be funny to unzip and attempt criminal damage on every item of clothing I wore, type of horse. Man, the creature had more horsepower personality than my car and yet, after all that, my fondness for him was off the scale… and so, it began. 

Now, fast forward 8 years, we have a herd of six horses (Roscoe, Chilly, Juela, Rambo, Nova & Cody) with four more on their way, we launched our new company Walkernova Sports Horses and let me tell you, it's been a learning curve steeper than the Canal Turn at the Grand National - but we're committed! 

Personally, I have always wanted to document my journey and share with you what it’s really like having absolutely no idea what is going on. Made more apparent as I watch from the side-lines, a horse dancing inside a PVC rectangle with letters and a car beeping its horn or ringing a bell to which I hear those around me exclaim with joy “what a beautiful flying change…” what even is that? Funnily enough, I didn't even know horse had trials, when it was presented to me, I thought the horses were heading to court… what a spectacle either way! 

For now, this is very much an introduction only, a blog of my journey as I navigate through the incredible Equestrian world, documenting all the incredible people we meet, friends we make for life, places visited I only thought existed in story books, minus the mud and of course, watching our incredible event rider, Kristina, make everything seem like it was taught in P.E. at school and I just missed the class, which is very likely.

So how did we end up with 6 horses? Well… When Charlotte said to me “I'm going horse shopping with Kristina” in 2023, I never imagined, for one second, my card was being swiped, and we were taking delivery of two beautiful boys the very next week. Nor would I have ever imagined we'd have the clan we now have, but… you know what, I wouldn't change it for the world, although I can confirm I have changed the pin on my credit card. 

Before I head off to the muck heap, here are some key things I have learnt so far… 

Horses are surprisingly sensitive: Apparently, you can't just approach a horse like you're greeting a Labrador. They're sensitive souls, requiring gentle words, slow movements, and a general air of calm. I'm working on the calm part. My default setting is "mild panic."

The smell of horses is… erm, something else: It's not bad, exactly. It's just… intense. A mix of hay, leather, and… well, horse. It's a smell that clings to you, like a particularly persistent cologne.

So, if you’re not asleep, here I am, fresh and new to the equine world like a baby and beginning my journey into attempting to figure out which end of the hoof pick goes where. I'm sure there will be many more "adventures" to document. I hope you're going to stay for the ride. Stay tuned for tales of my continuing education in the world of horses. I'm hoping to eventually graduate from "clueless newbie" to "slightly less clueless newbie” - a carefully thought-out progression. 

Wish me luck. And if you have any tips for a bewildered horse dad, please, for the love of hay, share them in the comments, please!