Rubbish at hacking. Chris Girdler aka HorseDad

Hi everybody, I’m Chris, Dad to Oliver, Jacob and Sophie. I have always really been a car racer, most recently in the American Cup Car Series but recently, at the age of 38 I took the plunge and started horse riding lessons! Now along with my children’s ponies, I own Cole, an 18Hh horse and my best pal. You can find out more about us in issue 5 and 6 of the magazine and I'm happy to be posting here along with all the other talented young equestrians! ...

I'm so rubbish. I went for a hack out with my sister along a fairly narrow tree lined track. There were a stack of pipes down the track running horizontally, like a bridge. Silly HorseDad here didn't judge them properly and didn't duck low enough. So upon being clotheslined by the pipes I grabbed hold of one and dragged myself off the back of Cole, and gave myself a kind of controlled drop to the muddy ground. Winner! Or maybe not...

So my horse turned round, probably relieved at the monumental weight off his back disappearing, kind of barged his way past my sister's horse which upset him, and off Cole went, trotting off up the track. I say to my sister "just follow him he'll run home......."