When we bought Ben, he had a slight habit of shaking his head, but it had become more of a problem, and he now occasionally bucked too. Looking through Equi-ads, we saw an article about Isoble and thought that she might be able to give us some insight into something that perhaps had happened in the past to make him headshake and occasionally buck. We were skeptical, but curiosity got the better of us and we asked Isoble to come and have a chat with some of our equine friends. It turned out to be one of the most enlightening, memorable and entertaining evenings I have experienced in a long time.

We started with our new horse Sasha. She was a bundle of nerves when we entered her stable, but had calmed right down after the chat with Isobel. She told us of some of the horrible things she had been subjected to. No wonder she was so stressed out. It was her super nature that attracted my daughter to her, and Isobel assured us that her past experiences had not ruined her nature in any way.

We then moved on to our old gent, Casper, who was a comedian from start to finish. We were suprised at just how much he had to say. he can be a little bit sulky and we wouldn't have been at all surprised at how much he had to say. he can be a little bit sulky and we wouldn't have been at all surprised if he had clammed up, but on the contrary, he had loads to say - even down to describing the grumpy, old, grey haired man with the big boots that puts him out in the morning! He had words of advice for a novice rider and also commented on how he disliked the repositioning of his haynets!! The most outstanding revelation however was that our much loved lad, whom we had always thought of being a right little tearaway is in fact GAY!!! ( and proud of it). Isobel went on to describe an accident that Casper had had and suggested having his back looked at. We are waiting a visit from a specialist.

We then moved on to Benson, who was the main reason for Isobel's visit. he became quite agitated. Right away Isobel could sense how much discomfort Ben was in and suggested we have his back looked at. It is terrible to think we were basically putting Ben's headshaking and bucking down to his youthfulness and bad habit (having already had bridle, saddle, and teeth checked). If only we had known about Isobel sooner, his discomfort and being misunderstood could have been attended to ages ago

Hopefully, after a visit from a specialist, things will improve. Thank you Isobel for your visit. We are looking forward to seeing you again shortly to reassure us things are on the mend.

Jacqui and Kara McIntosh 15 April 2005