Heather Dunn was hanging out at the stalls, 30 stalls, to be exact, while some of her friends were hanging out at the mall. Every day, since she was an infant, Heather was either at her mother’s side or in her line of vision. While Mum, Sharon, managed 30 horses and trained 7 students, she included Heather in almost every aspect of the job. It could be said that Sharon was a pioneer in Bring Your Daughter To Work Day. As a result, Heather has “bags full of ribbons and some trophies” that prove she learned quite a bit from Mum.

At age 9, Heather, who had her own ponies, received her first horse, Bee Gee, as a Christmas present from Mum and began jumping him at shows. Heather was the youngest contestant riding a horse 15 hands high. (A horse is measured in hands, 4 inches to a hand, from the top of its shoulders to the ground.) Heather also competed in the five events of the pentathlon, where she ranked 5th out of 52.

Riding, jumping, showing, and winning were only part of this equestrian’s life. As she learned from Mum, her role model and mentor, owning an animal is a major responsibility. It takes lots of time, energy, and hard work. Heather’s jobs were many.
Feeding: At a very young age, Heather learned that it’s not safe to hand feed her ponies. Instead, she wisely put all food into feed buckets. She was careful to accurately measure the exact amount, not a bit extra, to help prevent her ponies from setting sick from overeating. Heather made sure to provide her ponies with fresh water and refused to give them sugar cubes.
Grooming: Heather kept her horse looking tidy by brushing his coat, mane, and tail. She also trimmed his tail, sometimes much too short, in her effort to make it even. She picked his feet out to keep them clean and prevent them from becoming sore. 
Maintained Tack & Stall: Heather cleaned all the tack (any equipment that goes on a horse, such as saddles, reins, bits, and harnesses). She raked manure and kept each stall clean and dry.

Heather explained her 3 simple guidelines. “If I don’t want to drink out of my pony’s water bucket, he won’t. If I don’t want to eat out of my pony’s feed bucket, he won’t. If I don’t want to sleep on my pony’s bed, he won’t.” 

Heather added, “My horse knows me more than I know him. He can sense when I’m nervous or scared, so I make up my mind to always stay calm when I work and ride.”

(Hampshire, England: 1993)