Introducing Sonia – by Lisa Gregory
It might seem strange to introduce you to people the regular riders among you already know very well, but my hard-working staff here at the trekking centre are so dedicated to the well-being of both our horses and our clients that I think it is important to recognise their dedication.
So this week I am going to talk about a very familiar face – my yard manager Sonia Aston.
Sonia first came to work for me when she was just 17, fresh out of college and still very inexperienced. I was interviewing more qualified staff, but I was so impressed by how her determination to learn the job properly shone through that I decided to take a chance on her. It is a decision I have never regretted.
I will always give someone a go if I believe in them, and I also believe that if you find someone who is a nice person, you can make them good with horses. That was the case with Sonia.
She had to learn every aspect of the job, and she soon improved her skills and her riding. After two years she moved on, but I was delighted when she decided to return as a supervisor under Lucy Powell as yard manager.
When Lucy moved to Cumbria, Sonia took on the managerial role and she is responsible for the whole running of the yard, from the horses’ welfare and workload to the organisation of the treks.
She loves to be hands on, and I always say that if Lucy is my right-hand woman then Sonia is my left. We make a great team. Now over to Sonia…
Sonia Aston
I only rode a couple of times when I was small, but I really got the bug at age 12 when my cousin got a horse called Danny, and I used to go and ride him sometimes. Later, I managed to find bits of work experience.
After I finished college I applied everywhere I could for a job with horses. Lisa was the only person thoughtful enough to reply to me, and she offered me a job. When I was 18, I bought my own horse Millie.
A couple of years later I had the idea that the grass was greener, and I moved on to work as a showjumping groom, then at a kennels and cattery, and then for a vet. But I realised that my passion was really for working with horses – and especially for working with Lisa. I was constantly contacting her to ask if there was a vacancy.
And then there was – and I came back to work with Lucy, bringing Millie with me to become my guide horse. When Lucy moved away, I became yard manager, supervising the staff.
I was really upset when Lucy left; I wondered if I could cope without her, and I did find it difficult at first. But I stepped up and grew into the role. I have been back here for seven years now, and I love my job.
The yard has become busier and busier since I have been here. Winters sometimes used to be really quiet, but now we have three treks going out most days and the evening clinics too, and it is a change for the better. It is great to be busy.
Something I have really loved doing is helping Lisa with the training of the young horses. I had always wanted to do that, and Lisa’s help and support gave me the confidence to buy and bring on my own youngster, Elka (pictured left), who has replaced my lovely Millie, who I sadly lost a few years ago.
No job too small!
I love the variety of this job. I am doing something different every day. I am happy to go out on a trek or just as happy to muck out a stable. I even enjoy tack cleaning! I believe that you should always lead by example, and I will muck in with any job that needs doing on the yard.
My favourite job, though, is spending time grooming, tidying and clipping the horses. Sometimes we are so busy that we don’t get much time to spend with them. So whenever there is an opportunity to give a horse a pampering session, I love to do it as you get to learn all their different personalities.
Special favourites
Obviously I love all the horses, but, apart from my own, I have a particular soft spot for Buttons (pictured right) and Kitty.
However, if I were forced to name a favourite among Lisa’s horses it would have to be Saffy (main blog picture). I spent a long time bringing her on and training her to be my lead horse, and she helped me through a really tough period after I lost Millie. Saffy will always have a special place in my heart because of that. Elka is really doing well at learning to be a guide horse, but when I am on Saffy I can do every aspect of the job. She is fabulous.
Onwards and upwards!
I love the job as much now as when I started. With an eye on the future, the developments at CCTC are so exciting, especially the proposed 46 new stables, which will make working life somewhat easier.
That being said, I will never tire of riding out on Cannock Chase.
I started riding when I was three and was having lessons, mainly at Ingestre. But as I got older I felt I was getting a bit stale, and then my mum spotted that the trekking centre was opening.
I became yard manager, with Sonia as my right-hand woman, and that continued until 2015 when Jamie’s job moved to Cumbria. When we left, the building here had just started; when we came back two years later, everything was different!
Western riding is a great love of mine and passing on that enthusiasm in my lessons is really rewarding. In the summer, we hosted two ranch-style evening parties, and I choreographed the musical rides performed my myself, Lisa and the staff. I devised the routine and chose the music, and I absolutely loved it. I was so proud of the girls. When we started practising, most of them had never ridden Western. By the time of the performance, they looked as if they had been born to it. We ended each performance with a fast and furious barrel racing competition with the staff in two teams. It was so popular that I am now teaching barrel racing clinics!
You are all probably thinking I am going to choose one of the horses that work so well in the adult lessons and special training clinics. Well, you would be wrong, because my selection this week is our pretty little Highland mare, Princess.
She is brilliant at teaching canter, because it is so easy to get her into her stride. We often use her as a lead pony with a member of staff riding her to encourage the other ponies in the school.
I started riding when I was just four at a trekking centre owned by the mum of equine dentist Mat Carter, who cares for all of Lisa’s horses.
I love working with groups, so I enjoy our clinics, such as cross country and dressage in the summer, and polework in the winter. I enjoyed learning to ride Western in the summer, so I was able to take part in the Western riding displays at the ranch party nights, even including some exciting barrel racing!
Of course, the annual Sheriff Of Lichfield traditional beating the bounds ride in September is a highlight of our year, and this time we took our biggest ever number of horses. It was a great success and our two prep days involved lots of fun, laughter, hard work and cake!
We have had three fantastic evening events in our bistro: two Wild West themed ranch party nights in the summer, with food, drinks and a live band; and our first ever Christmas party. I think everyone at the ranch parties really enjoyed our Western riding display in the arena. I was so proud of my girls and all the horses. They put on a fabulous show and the response from the audience prompted us to introduce barrel racing as an activity.
For me 2019 was the year of the babies. I knew I would be busy with four to train: Nymeria, the sister of my PRE Andalusian trek leader Pele; and three home breds, Arizona, Indiana and Montana. It was hugely rewarding, as all four have exceeded my expectations. Nymeria was the most challenging, but it’s been a great learning curve. She, Arizona and Indiana are all regularly out on on the treks with clients, and Montana, the youngest of the four, has just started to join them.