Interview with Vicki Jayne Yates

Vicki Jayne Yates and her none ridden horse Kez (photo by Steve Yates)

The first in a series of interviews with people from different spheres of the equestrian world and of the equine industry. 

The welfare of none ridden equines is still an issue in the equestrian world. Most owners of ridden horses will have to deal with it at one point when facing the retirement of their companion due to old age or injury. However, not being ridden does not mean that horses cannot have a fulfilling relationship with their owners and carers, on the contrary.  

Vicki Jayne Yates, creator and founder of the None Ridden Equine Association UK has agreed to answer a few questions. 

What prompted you to create the None Ridden Equine Association UK?

My husband Steve and I purchased a horse to share to enjoy riding Kez. He’s a heavy weight Irish Cob. Sadly this wasn’t to be. Very quickly we discovered Kez found riding tricky. We had the physio and the local vet come to look at Kez. Lots of tests and they couldn’t tell us what was wrong. So Kez was sent to Newmarket Equine Hospital and with the latest technology we finally got a diagnosis that Kez has inter-spinal ligament damage in three places in his back along with bone changes in both hocks. We discussed this at length with the specialist and Steve and I decided Kez was to come home and be a non ridden. Kez needed us more than ever. He needed time to recover from the tests. There is so much you can enjoy non ridden but at the time nowhere set up especially for people who have non ridden equines to come together. So Steve and I started the Non Ridden Equine Facebook group. Little did we know thousands would join and local, regional and national affiliated Non Ridden Equine Facebook groups would launch. This has created a network of truly inspiring groups with members share amazing stories. This really got us thinking. Facebook is great for bringing together like minded passionate people. However outside of Facebook non ridden equines with no loving guardians face horrific futures. We have a terrible overbreeding crisis. Plus when horses can no longer be ridden with a quick fix throw away culture these horses enter the dark underbelly of the equine world. Welfare organisations are full to bursting and non ridden equines are the hardest to re-home. It was clear that more than clicking like on Facebook has to be done. So a small group of us got together to create the not for profit Non Ridden Equine Association UK. It is formally constituted and has a clear vision and mission. 

Can you give a few examples of the work done by the association? 

· The Non Ridden Equine Association UK has a website www.thenonriddenequineassociationuk.org Here you will find FREE non ridden resources from a rich diversity of professionals to inspire, delight and educate. 

· We ran a very successful International Non Ridden Day in 2019 to raise awareness. We aim to develop this in 2020. 

· We support and promote Non Ridden Equine Friendly Businesses. 

· We have taken the non ridden message out into the mainstream with articles in many national magazines and we had a stand at Your Horse Live in 2019. The feedback from people at the show will be shaping up our future plans. 

Do you feel that having a non ridden horse has enriched your life? In what way? 

Personally, wow Kez our non ridden has blown off my socks. The story I can tell about our Kez could turn into a book, but I will try my best to be brief. I have always said horses come to me for a reason. Kez came into my life and laid the non ridden agenda at my feet. This has pushed me way out of my comfort zone. I had never set up and run a not for profit organisation. My learning curve went vertical. Nor did I expect to have the massive response we have had in the need for the people who choose not to ride and for the most disadvantaged non ridden equines to have a platform to be seen and heard. I realise Kez has handed me a very responsible job. Because of Kez I have made friendships from all over the world. The non ridden message has gone global. People are embracing it. They no longer feeling isolated and judged because they now have a Non Ridden Equine Facebook Groups group and the Non Ridden Equine Association UK. 

Kez has a huge heart. He’s a warrior healer. Briefly here is my very personal story. Before I was diagnosed with breast cancer I was a horsemanship practitioner. So my life was horses, my own horse and helping others with their horses. 

The tests came back as lobular breast cancer stage 2. I can honestly say I felt my life had fallen apart. I felt like someone had ripped out my heart. Recovery from the surgery had its ups and downs and wasn’t plain sailing. But once I was over the worst I decided to visit our horse Kez. Visiting Kez put a huge smile on my face, he was pleased to see me. I was careful not to get pulled, or bashed about so decided the interactions had to be a liberty, no equipment to get pulled with. Kez knew I was frail and was super careful and mindful. The visits really lifted me emotionally. 

Chemotherapy was the hardest. The advice I was given in regards to visiting Kez was to be very careful, especially when my immune system was at the lowest during each cycle. No exposure to muck, dust, dirt and to avoid getting injured. So no mucking out, poo picking, hay net filling, or grooming a dirty horse. To wash my hands and take with me hand sanitiser. My oncologist also agreed I could visit my horse on the condition I must be careful and sensible. 

Chemotherapy made me so ill, the side effects physically pancaked me and emotionally it drove me to the gates of hell. At my lowest I was suicidal. During chemotherapy my hair fell out and this was deeply distressing. We had a heat wave so wearing a wig was far too hot and itchy. I lost all my confidence and my world shrank. I felt trapped at home in a prison with cancer. Going out in the chemo uniform of a headscarf, people stare and even give you well-meaning yet hurtful pep talks on battling cancer. So I stopped going places. However at the farm was the one place I could go and people didn’t stare or pass comments on how best to battle cancer. Our horse Kez never once minded what I put on my head or passed any judgement. My visits became my emotional safe place, as the farm is a peaceful and beautiful place. Kez treated me as me, not as someone who had cancer. Yes he knew I was poorly, and he was mindful. He allowed me to just be, to relax, chill and be part of his world. It was the place I could go to connect into a world that had nothing to do with cancer. I could recharge, connect with nature and leave cancer at the farm gate. 

Radiation therapy followed. The surgery and chemotherapy and radiation took its toll and at my lowest I could barely walk. Bit by bit I got stronger. And Kez helped. Bit by bit I could do more. And the first day I led him from the field to the yard I had a grin from one side of my face to the other. The simple things such as brushing his mane gave me so much pleasure and joy and still do. Physically I got strong enough to start doing some light stable duties. And the first day I managed to clean out his stable was a turning point. Yes I was wiped out after, but I did it. Gradually physically I got stronger and stronger and caring for a horse gives you a good work out. Emotionally I became more confident, finding I could do more spurred me on to try more. Spiritually I already had a deep and very meaningful connection with Kez. However my journey with cancer took it to another level. I was a weak as a kitten and he knew. Our love bond, partnership, connection, call it what you want, I say we can see into each other’s souls. He’s a warrior horse, a warrior who turns up by my side, ready to battle, ready to take on with me my cancer and silently weave his healing into to me to slay the demons cancer brings into life. The therapeutic benefits horses can bring to us is well documented and practiced. Kez has certainly changed my life. 

Today, non ridden horses are often seen as a disposable commodity. Do you believe this will change in the near future? If yes, how? 

Change is slowly happening. Sadly there is much work to be done in the mainstream. Little non ridden is taught at grass roots. Little is promoted in the mainstream. The equine world has a very strong bias towards riding. Plenty do not see the horrors out there as their world is one where it is invisible. Plenty just dispose of a horse that is no longer of use to them and not think about what will happen to the horse. Some people are ethical about what must be done, others are not and move on horses with the truth hidden. 

Can you give a few examples of fun none ridden activities? 

· Agility. 

· Ball Games. 

· Play with balloons or bubbles. 

· Clicker Training / Positive Reinforcement. 

· Cones – in hand patterns you can weave through. 

· Creative arts, equines are truly inspiring to sit with and draw, paint, model, etc. 

· Stop doing, just be with your horse. 

· Equine Facilitated Learning and Equine Therapy. 

· Play with flags. 

· Spend time with friends and family just chilling out with the horses. 

· Groundwork and horsemanship. There are many different practitioners who can teach horsemanship groundwork. 

· Herd watching, step into their world and just observe and learn. 

· 2 Hoops, see if your horse can stand with his front hooves in a hoop and you stand in the other. 

· Freestyle jumping. 

· Liberty. 

· Long reining. 

· Massage your horse. 

· Top up your mental wellbeing spend time with your horse. 

· Pamper your pony. 

· Online Showing. 

· Go for a picnic. 

· Play. 

· Teach your horse to stand on a podium. 

· In hand pole work. 

· Meditate. 

· Mindfulness. 

· Relaxation. 

· Scent games. 

· Spook busting. 

· Sweet spot scratches. 

· Stand on a tarp or mat and park your horse. 

· Train your horse to do useful tricks. 

· Go for an in hand walk or hike. 

· Enrichment. 

What is your opinion on riding horses? 

Ethical permissive riding is where I am at with riding horses. For me personally it is all about the connection, partnership and bond. The horse’s opinion is the one that matters in regards to riding. I am passionate that horses must be listened to and understood. I am also a huge fan of positive reinforcement. I can only have one horse, Kez. So I have given up riding. I no longer ride. I have zero desire to ride a horse I have no relationship and connection with. 

To conclude, a few words your horsemanship philosophy. 

Horses are sentient, spiritual beings which have needs and desires. Horsemanship for me is all about the relationship. The friendship we can share with a horse can be very close and meaningful. They say when the student is ready the teacher arrives. There is no better teacher of horsemanship than a horse. My horsemanship approach has been published many times in magazines. I share for FREE these resources in the Horsemanship Resources section on my website https://www.vickijayneyates.co.uk/horsemanship-resources.html

Vicki Jayne Yates BA Hons

Vicki and Kez (photo by Steve Yates)