Boxing Day Point to Point win for Amy & Goldie…

Massive congratulations to Amy Good…1st place in the Children 10-13yr olds race and best novice!

“Shatterford Golden Lad lived up to his name today…Goldie, you are worth your weight in gold!
Purchased in May 21 aged 10, Goldie had been backed as a 4 year old but turned away and lived a feral existence in a large herd environment for the following six years. He retained a strong herd mentality leading him to be highly reactive and needing to flee any situation he deemed scary. Initially, he would not even eat hard feed if people were in the vicinity of his stable. He was incredibly fearful of anything in his peripheral vision, which meant basic daily activities such as rugging or giving a rider a leg up on to him were a challenge.
In June 21 a yard fire devastated his stables and he and two other horses were rescued from the fire, thankfully he only suffered minor smoke inhalation, but the stable he was starting to learn was a safe place was destroyed and he had to be turned away, very quickly reverting to his herd mentality again.
In July 21 I fractured my pelvis and back and was confined to a wheelchair and was unable to supervise or assist Amy with training.
In April 22 training suffered a further set back when Goldie spooked whilst being ridden, causing Amy to collide with an oak tree resulting in a fractured scaithoid.
Throughout the last 18 months Goldie’s character and honesty has shone through and despite his genuine fear he has never said “No”. He still battles his demons on a daily basis and it was unknown how he would react to the crowds at the finish line. Bringing a mature horse into work presents its own musculoskeletal challenges, as developmentally he had not been subjected to progressive loading and a rapid training program on a horse this age carries significant risks.
This win is testament to all the hours Amy spent trying to gain Goldie’s trust…her patience, dedication, determination and perseverance finally paid off!” Andrea Good