Amy and her family recently moved to West Hope farm, a 60-acre rented property in the tiny hamlet of Hope, which lies in the shadow of the Stang Forest on the road leading off the A66 towards Reeth.
At 1,000 feet above sea-level, the grazing can only be described as rough and the weather can be challenging. However, Amy is undaunted and usually finds time to ride her horse, Rory, on a daily basis.
Amy studied for an equine diploma after leaving school and went on to take a foundation degree in equine science, which she completed last year. In July, she launched her own equine massage business, Equiroam.
“I wasn’t quite sure what to do with my qualifications after leaving college and I had given some thought to equine massage, although I didn’t know much about what might be involved,” says Amy.
“I did some research and found that I could take a course through Equissage Europe in the subject at Catterick Saddle Club. It was extremely hard work and involved a lot of study hours, but it gave me a more thorough grounding in all of the muscles and their functions.”
Bringing a horse back to fitness can incorporate pole work exercises, as well as massage, and Amy may also add a qualification in equine hydrotherapy at some point in the future.
Another option is to buy a thermal imaging camera which links to a mobile phone app and can pick out problem areas of the body. Some masseurs also use electronic pulse therapy.
“Massage requires a lot of hand strength and it can get very tiring,” she comments.
“If a horse has received several sessions and the injury or complaint has not improved, then it is important to bring in a vet, so that the problem can be investigated further.
“As a prey animal, a horse is very good at masking its symptoms, so masseurs have to be responsible and recognise when more specialised help might be needed.”
Nine-year-old ex-racehorse Rory was Amy’s first “client” and shows every sign of pleasure when she practises her skills. He arrived on the farm a year ago and the two have developed a very special bond.
“Rory had been in a private home for some time before I got him,” says Amy.
“He didn’t have a very sparkling career as a racehorse, probable because he is too laid back,” she observes.
“He had a serious bucking issue at first and I wondered whether he had pain in his back, but the problem disappeared after a change of saddle. The massage has helped to build muscle in the right places and get him into a better outline, with greater impulsion from behind.
“All owners will recognise the dip or twitch in the muscle when a sore spot receives pressure. Rory is my first thoroughbred and I have found that it is slightly easier to work with the breed, because cobs tend to have fat pockets and it is harder to find their weak points.
“I plan to do a bit of everything with Rory; he was shown in the Retraining of Racehorses class at Bowes for the first time this autumn and came first, although there were only two in the class. He is a very sweet-natured horse and a real gentleman; a pleasure to work with.
“Equine massage is not the solution for every ailment, but it can help horses to heal faster and can also be used to alleviate lameness, in some cases,” says Amy.
“I have not had my first official massage client yet, but I’m really keen to get started and put all my training into practice.”
Equissage Europe
EQUISSAGE Europe was founded in the late 1980s, by American human massage therapist and equine enthusiast, Mary Schreiber.
She started out using massage therapy on racehorses and moved on to the show horse circuit, finding that muscle injuries healed much faster after the treatment.
To date, Mary’s study programme has trained several thousand equine massage therapists in 19 countries throughout the world.
More information can be found at www.equissage- europe.co.uk.
FARMING
AMY’S stepfather Stephen Plews is a full-time teacher but has always kept sheep and this year he and her sister Izzy imported a small flock of Dutch Spotteds, which were bred to graze the dykes in Holland. They have been added to a group of Millennium Blue ewes (sired by the Beltex and out of a Bleu du Maine).
Amy shares their interest and has her own flock of 20 commercial crossbreds, from which she sells lambs as stores. She is currently expecting a delivery of Hill Cheviot ewes from Scotland, which should cope well on the exposed site; her ultimate aim is to increase the flock size to 100 ewes eventually.
Amy also works for a couple of days a week and at lambing time on a mixed livestock farm at Scargill.
The family previously lived on a smallholding near Bowes and only relocated to the 60-acre rented farm 12 months ago, having originally been based at Ferryhill.
While her parents’ names feature on the five-year farm business tenancy agreement, Amy is the designated farmer and the accounts are run from her bank account.
“My parents were happy for me to take the lead, as they wanted to reduce their farming commitments,” explains Amy.
“I still have a lot to learn and the staff at Utass have been really supportive, giving me advice on making a Basic Payment Scheme application, as well putting me through various training certificates.
I would also like to mention the Barnard Castle Young Farmers Club; there are currently about 15 of us, but we are always looking to recruit new members.”
Amy can be contacted on 07972 493367 or at adonkin1 @gmail.com
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