Just part of the ongoing training session for two very special horses from Wildwoods.
Rocky one of the many horses I have had the pleasure to work with.
Caroline has spent a lifetime with horses. She has ridden since she was 11 and competed in most disciplines, show jumping, polo, eventing, racing, long distance riding and showing.
She was one of Great Britain’s first professional female flat jockeys at a time when the mere hint of a woman on the racecourse competing against men bought forth a torrent of complaints, usually from the other jockeys.
Caroline spent many years riding racehorses in France, England and Ireland. She is currently campaigning for a Museum of the Horse for Great Britain.
Caroline studied antiquarian equine literature and is a specialist on antiquarian horse books at J. A. Allen’s the Horseman’s Bookshop.
Her many travels have led her to Turkmenistan and Iran. There she experienced the beauty of the Oriental horses so crucial to the development of the thoroughbred.
Caroline was invited to attend the two annual conferences on the Akhal Teke’s role in world Horse Breeding, presenting two papers.
She was invited to attend the celebrations following ten years of independence, and was entertained by the Minister of the Horse Geldi Kiarizov. Her travels took her to the stud owned by the Minister for Oil and Gas.
Caroline has on horseback with Louise Firouz travelled from her stud in Eastern Iran to the Turkoman border. Louise Firouz was a breeder of Turkoman horses and the founder of the Caspian Breed society. Caroline experienced the joy of fenceless plains and endless grassland and mountainous trekking with some of the most traveled and knowledgeable companions.
In 2009, Caroline rode her thoroughbred racehorse Melmott up Whitehall to No 10 Downing Street to present a petition showing support for a Museum of the Horse for Great Britain, to the minister of the horse. Watch the whole event as it happened in a film called Lady Godiva rides horse to Downing Street on YouTube now.
Watch an interview with the Minster of State for DEFRA, Minister of the Horse, Jim Fitzpatrick and Caroline Anns-Baldock referencing the potential for a Museum of the Horse for the UK. Includes extra footage of the ride up Whitehall with Caroline dressed as Lady Godiva.
In 2010, she rode Melmott from Epsom to Canterbury. Although not completing the entire journey due to adverse weather conditions, she completed the first and last day.
Caroline has been teaching long reining and running clinics in conjunction with Jo Rose therapist, and riding instructor on horse handling and horse training.
She also starts horses and works from the ground with schooling youngsters and horses with emotional and physical problems and now works in conjunction with Wildwoods Riding Centre and Holly Bush Stables.