One day, I ventured deep into the countryside to meet my friend’s horse, Amelio. I had never interacted with a non riding school horse in such a capacity as I did with Amelio, so it was quite an experience.
This was my first visit to a livery yard not attached to a riding school, so I didn’t know what to expect.
We drove through picturesque valleys and finally arrived at the yard. As we walked into the stables, I saw the most gorgeous horse named Amelio.
His owner stated that Amelio is a 16.3-hand dark bay German Warmblood.
His owner had an excellent connection with him, as Amelio immediately turned towards him, possibly enticed by the carrots he brought.
Initially, we considered riding him, but from his demeanour alone, I could tell I certainly wasn’t anywhere near proficient enough to do so.
Especially since the fact that he hadn’t been ridden or lunged recently.
Leading him out of the stable, I immediately noticed how different he was from riding school horses—he was much heavier and took large steps.
As we walked into the fields, I let him graze, but struggled to lift his head back up even after several attempts. Thankfully, the owner stepped in, and Amelio responded immediately. This made me realise how much I still had to learn about handling horses, particularly large horses.
We walked him into the menage and led him in a few circles. Observing Amelio’s movements and expressions was fascinating; though he sometimes seemed grumpy, his owner assured me it was just his nature.
We took a few pictures with him, and although he wasn’t the most cooperative at first, we got some good shots. I also walked and lightly jogged with Amelio around the fields.
Overall, it was an interesting day, and I learned that I still have much to learn about handling and interacting with big horses.
You can check out the full video experience with Amelio via the link below!
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