It was a perfectly fresh Spring day but as I made my to the large arena it wasn’t the glow of surrounding daffodils that caught my eye. It was a strapping bay horse rearing and thrashing around under saddle that did. Secretly hoping the rider would get off she greated me as the horse calmed down and I realised that it was Kerry on board. Half way through our interview I stopped Kerry and asked why on earth she would ride something like that. "It’s a livery" she explained. "She's got issues and I'm trying to find out what they are. There are too many horses out there with problems which go unnoticed and the horse is written off a bad character. I haven’t sussed this horse yet, but I will. As a new livery her owner trusts that I will exercise and care for her. And if I can sort out her ridden issues too, then I've done my job well." I wanted to know about Kerry’s ambition and what made her want to run a livery business of her own. Determined be become a successful dressage rider, but with limited funds Kerry decided to put her jumping mare in foal hoping to breed an exciting project for her future. But complications during pregnancy prevented this. Desperate to achieve her goal Kerry worked hard as head girl at a yard and after a while was able to afford an unbroken 3 year old, -Armani. Unbeknown to her, he would teach her everything she needed to know about bringing on youngsters. A generous horse, his attitude was easy-going and totally dependable and between them a perfect partnership formed. From a showing background Kerry's boss and friend Emma saw their potential and helped Kerry show at County level where the pair came 3rd at HOYS. The following year Kerry worked hard to pursue her career in dressage. She took up full time training as working groom with her instructor Amy Stovold. "Amy taught me that riding is all about feel and you can only feel it for yourself, no one can teach you. Perfection only is good enough in all aspects of training and caring for horses and when you hear ‘Yes, yes, yes, that’s it!’ from your trainer, you realise that perfection is worth working for, because it makes you feel a million dollars." An opportunity arose for Kerry to take over the business at her previous job at Allmanor Park in Surrey. She took over the business with a team of 4 staff and 40 horses. It was everything she'd ever wanted but Kerry didn't realise just what was involved. "Running a business is hard. As a livery I knew what clients wanted from the service. I knew how I liked my horses being looked after and I made sure that my clients horses were cared for in the same way. As an instructor I am there if any of my liveries need advice and I'd like to think that I help them however I can and I feel that I have learnt from the best so I am confident to pass on that knowledge. I try to be a good boss to my staff as I know what I would expect. My team are great and I couldn't do it without them. They are all hard working and are more like family than staff. But it isn't easy. “People think livery yards make a fortune. Once the bills have been paid there's not much left for competition entries and diesel - although there’s always enough to buy cake for tea time!” During our second slice of cake Kerry explains how she feels about her horses. “Armani is like a best friend. He's so dependable and honest and he's taken me through the levels of competition where he's been well admired. I've had a lot of fun along the way with him and there's a great friendship and a lot of trust there. We’ve gone from County showing to competing at Medium level dressage and we’ve done it from scratch as a team.” Seeing the potential and determination in Kerry, her boyfriend invested in an unbroken youngster for her. Within six months ‘JJ’ turned from a cocky child to a very impressive young man. Gaining average marks of 70% and winning his first Affiliated Novice competition, Kerry sees him as a real top horse for the future. “JJ is so different to Armani - he’s really tricky to ride. It gives me a buzz when I do well on him because he makes me really ride every step.” I know I’m very lucky to have what I’ve got but anyone who thinks it’s easy should try it some time. Running a business, managing staff and liveries plus competing is tough but with a great support team behind me I want to do well for them. My parents are very supportive and my mum is chief camera woman at competitions! My fantastic groom Jackie is one of my best friends and I have a great circle of pals in and out of the yard. And her final advice for anyone wanting to be successful with horses, she said “work hard, get good training and when times get tough, remember they can only get better, so go for it.” If you would like to contact Kerry about training or livery you can contact her on 07817 939189.