Chairman's Introduction
by Mike Harrison
My main interest in horses is their welfare, in all situations. I cannot say when my active interest in horses began, but it seems as though for much of my early life I was both fascinated and terrified by these magnificent beasts. As I grew older I began to notice the contrast between the way a horse carries itself when it is being ridden and when it runs free with a group of its companions. It seemed there was some kind of bond to be made, and I looked for ways to draw closer.
The opportunity came in 1980 in south-western Saudi Arabia, where the Dutch company for whom I was working as a civil engineer built the Royal Saudi Airforce a riding club – stables, arena, club- and tack room, cross-country course – and we were offered low-cost lessons. My interest in horses did not extend to riding, but there seemed no other way of getting close to them. My riding experience – or rather reflection on the way I was taught to treat horses when riding them – has left me with a resolve not to ride again until I have been retrained. Meanwhile my occupation as a craniosacral therapist allows me to get close to horses and observe them being themselves, alone or in groups.
More recently with Jo Macarthur’s encouragement I have become interested in how we can bring the findings and practical applications of equitation science to the amateur rider and their animals. I often call to mind a saying of Mark Rashid1: ‘When we listen to our horses, we get an education. When we don’t, we get an experience.’
I hope to be able to bring this personal history to the service of NHTEC for the coming year.
1Rashid M 2005, Horsemanship Through Life, Johnson Books 1st edition