Davy Russell

No, I was... I had brilliant... And I had... There was a great man who used to work on the farm called Bill Dalton.

We actually named a pony after him here.

He's still going strong.

But...

Bill used to, my pony was quite bold or not even that, the pony was bold.

It was just I was so small and I wasn't able to handle him.

But Bill would go down and hunt in the cows on the pony.

And when I come home from school, he'd be tacked up and maybe the fizz might be gone out of him a little bit.

And all them things all the way through my, you know, when you're young, all them things will help a child, you know.

So they're all small little things, but this is...

Yeah, but when you're on the ground, your voice is an aid.

So when you're on the ground, it is something we do.

We communicate with them.

I do feel that when you're around the same horses every day, your voice is... They know how to judge you from your voice and your tone.

So when you're on the ground, yes...

Vocally you do speak to them, but it's more so for them to get accustomed to your voice or your soundings.

But when you're on their back, it's more...

what they're telling you through their, what would I say, with their movements and with their demeanour.

And it's all body language, really.

Like, obviously, there's no vocal communication from the horse to the jockey, but it's all done on feel.