STEFF SINGLETON
I developed my passion for horses at a young age. I could often be found at the back of our garden hanging over the neighbours fence offering clumps of grass i had pulled from the lawn to any willing pony that would take my offerings. My parents couldn't afford riding lessons, but after declaring my boredom for the umpteenth time during the summer holidays of my tenth year, it was suggested contact our local riding school to see if they needed any volunteers. I spent every waking moment at those stables, and if I wasn't running round ponies on the lead rein for lessons, I was mucking out, cleaning tack or anything else horsey I could get my hands on.
A couple of years later my parents allowed me to take on a rescued Dartmoor pony from a nearby sanctuary and even though she was too small for me to ride, having a pony of my own was a dream come true! I think they quickly realised it wasn't just a phase I was going through and they had no choice but to add a ridden pony to the family too.
Since these humble beginnings I have dedicated my life to horses. I am lucky enough to own, train and compete fabulous horses of my own as well as having had great opportunities to work and teach across the globe in multiple disciplines all with one goal in mind....to help and inspire like minded equestrians to achieve the best they can.
A couple of years later my parents allowed me to take on a rescued Dartmoor pony from a nearby sanctuary and even though she was too small for me to ride, having a pony of my own was a dream come true! I think they quickly realised it wasn't just a phase I was going through and they had no choice but to add a ridden pony to the family too.
Since these humble beginnings I have dedicated my life to horses. I am lucky enough to own, train and compete fabulous horses of my own as well as having had great opportunities to work and teach across the globe in multiple disciplines all with one goal in mind....to help and inspire like minded equestrians to achieve the best they can.
THE STORY BEHIND THE BOOKS
The idea for the first story popped into my head at 5am one morning, whilst milking cows on a farm back in 2018. A quirky little rhyme kept repeating itself over and over in my mind, and after work I thought to myself "This has kinda got a ring to it, I should really write it down." A few days later I added a few more lines, and the idea of writing a book gradually came to light. Months of scribbling down lines, then crossing them out, followed until I was finally left with some form of story. I briefly looked into the reality of turning the story into a published piece, but a combination of a lack in confidence, knowledge and life generally carrying me away, led to the notebook i had scribbled in being put to one side to gather dust.
Fast forward to December 2020 (when a lack of work and yet another Covid lockdown forced us all to stay at home), I was inspired to pick up that dusty little notebook again after seeing a post on Facebook from a page called Capture Their Character. This small business is ran by the amazing artist Lucy Beattie who draws the most beautiful cartoon style illustrations and after a few messages discussing the story and what I was looking for, she kindly took on the role of helping bring the book to life. What a fabulous job she has done as i'm sure you'll agree when you give it a read. |
There was never really a plan to write more, but with the encouragement of so many fans, I realised that I had created something to help bring families together and educate young minds around the world. This realisation was further acknowledged when i received an invitation to the HorseScotland annual equestrian awards as a nominee for the Writer of the Year category. It was surreal to be sat in a room with such an abundance of talented people, but then to be announced as the overall winner completely blew me away.
My background in teaching, writing stories, articles etc allows me to have an influence in the equestrian world outside of the arena as well as in it. It is an honour and a privilege to do this sort of work and I look forward to seeing where the adventure takes me in the future. |