Rumour Control: Emma Hindle On the Road to Recovery with a New Perspective on Life

Dressage

British Dressage News

The rumour mill got in over-drive when leading British Grand Prix rider Emma Hindle was not selected on her national team for the 2010 World Equestrian Games.

The 35-year old British rider has been absent from the show scene since May 2010 which instigated speculation of lameness and personal health problems.

Eurodressage caught up with Hindle today and the cheerful Brit confirmed that "many of the rumours are true to a certain extent. Lancet has been injured and there have been some health issues in my family but we're all doing fine now."

Lancet Back in Work

Emma's 17-year old licensed Hanoverian stallion Lancet (by Wenzel x Shogun xx) sustained a minor injury from which he has been recovering this spring and summer. "He didn't feel 100% right in Hagen (in April) and had a small lesion, but Lance is now almost back in full work and I have been training him in the U.K. with Richard White."

Emma and Lancet at the 2009 European Championships Though Lancet is back in blooming shape, Emma was not able to ride at any of the British WEG selection trials and for September she has scheduled to be home in Britain with her parents so she can help out her mother and father. "First I want to get everyone alright," she stated.

Mum is the Main Priority

The main reason for Emma's absence from the show scene has been her mother. In the spring she was diagnosed with breast cancer, which shell shocked the entire family.

"My dad is 76 now and it was a real shock for him," Emma admitted. "I have been spending much time in England helping my mum with her treatment and providing moral support for my dad at the office running the family business."

Emma's own health has been swaying as well. In 2008 she was operated on due to some feminine issues, but the problems suddenly returned a few months ago. "The doctors don't really know what is wrong. They haven't found a tumour and my blood tests came back negative. I've done some checkups. I'm sure we'll figure it out. I don't want to be running from one specialists to another. We'll clear this up as quickly as possible."

John Hindle Putting her own 'problems' aside, Emma has mainly been focusing on assisting her parents on the road to recovery. "Horses become less important when you face human health problems," she confessed. "We have really discovered each other in these hard times."

Hindle, who lives in Erbach, Germany, has been commuting between the U.K. and Germany but kept her top horses in Great Britain to train. "I've kept them at my uncle's place but had to ride them at the most horrible hours, either very early or very late. I've been drenched so many times and I think I suffer from a three-month sleep deficit," she quipped. "Before my main problem in life was riding fifteen one-tempi changes. That has all changed now."

Having Some Quarter Horse Fun

Emma having fun with Big Time Rooster Emma has discovered a new way to put all problems beside and find comfort and relaxation in these troubled times: a Quarter Horse.

"I attended the international reining competition at Michael Schumacher's place in Switzerland a while ago and got offered a ride on Big Time Rooster, a licensed American Quarter Horse stallion," she said.

Big Time Rooster has been stabled at Brookhouse Stud where he is being collected for breeding. Emma praises the wonderful temperament of the Quarter Horses as they are so relaxed and mellow in their entire being.

Hindle confessed that she's not a real cowboy chick and has no plans to do reining competitions. "I have no equipment. I just ride him in breeches and boots. I'm not into the cowgirl thing."

Big Time Rooster has become her buddy and "a great distraction," she said. "For once I can play on a horse. It's a different world," she said. "Sometimes with dressage we forget to enjoy. With him I can toddle off in the woods with the dogs. He's been so good for my mind. You realize again why you do horses."