“[She] was a perfectionist,” the now 58-year-old remembers in her autobiography. “The awful thing was that if she was critical of someone else, you couldn’t help but be relieved that you were getting a break.”
Fast forward more than 40 years, and the road to the top is often no smoother for those with their hearts set on a life working with horses; eye-wateringly early starts, bruised muscles and equally battered egos are par for the course.
TROOPER LAURA ANGUS, SOLDIER
CAMARADERIE and physical resilience are vital to surviving the Household Cavalry’s 12-week riding course for new recruits. Laura Angus had a childhood spent riding on her side when she embarked on the course last year – but that didn’t ease the pain of the first four weeks spent in the indoor school without stirrups. “Having ridden before, I didn’t know if it was going to be a bit tedious [at the beginning]. But because they took everything back to basics, it got rid of any bad habits,” she says. While others who’d never sat on a horse might have taken more tumbles than Laura, it was the grooming regime that was her steepest learning curve.
This story is from the September 10, 2020 edition of Horse & Hound.
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This story is from the September 10, 2020 edition of Horse & Hound.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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