I find Chelsi sat scribbling away in a notebook, her long dyed hair stroking the page and reminding me of Wednesday Addams with its sheer block colour. She’s dressed completely in black to agree with my Addams family metaphor but then her camel coloured UGG boots and heavy gold jewellery give me the impression of a cross between Wednesday Addams and Vicky Pollard. But I’m not here to create witty metaphors about Chelsi’s appearance. I’m here because Chelsi has always been the girl in my class who I knew about but never knew, so I’ve decided to try and bridge that gap.
I approach Chelsi, ask her for an interview and take a seat beside her. She seems slightly bemused as to why I want to interview her, but my explanation is simple. Of the few things I know about Chelsi, I know of her passion for horse riding and horses in general. As someone who has never had a hobby, nor seen the point in having one, I’m curious as to what it is that, if anything, I’m missing out on.
I begin with letting Chelsi in on my initial impression of her, admittedly leaving out my Addams/Pollard thought. Her appearance is, too me, far from that of the stereotypical horse rider. When I hear horse riding I think public school, ‘jolly good old chap’ and big hats at the Royal Ascot. On hearing my thought of the stereotypicalhorse rider, Chelsi gives a small laugh as though what I have said is quite the typical impression: “There’s a couple of stereotypes about the posh poncey people who ride in the best riding schools, or there’s also old country folk who ride more naturally and don’t really have any rules or anything. It’s not stereotypical; we’re just different people who have different interests.”
So what exactly is Chelsi’s hobby? Is it contained within horse riding or is it horses in general that press her buttons? On thinking of an answer to my question, her entire body language seems to change. Before, she sat in a slightly awkward manner, and answered in a very matter-of-fact tone. Now? Her body opens up as if embracing my question, her eyes light up while concocting an answer and a small smile plays across her face. “I love horses in general. It’s called equestrianism, which is like the broad scope of it. It’s like the whole history of the horse after it was domesticate by people. It is about the horsemanship between you and your horse which is learning to read their body language, riding, and it’s just every factor of horse riding.”
Often people know a lot about their hobbies, without getting very involved. But on second thoughts, what exactly do equestrian lovers do? With most hobbies the jobs are obvious: stamp collecting, running, knitting. So in the huge area that is equestrianism, what exactly is it that Chelsi does? “I do show jumping, which is just jumping a series of fences in an order and stuff like that. But I do like the idea of polo and cross-country and sports like that too. When it comes to the horses themselves, I care for them, groom them, clean out the stables, ride them and help rehabilitate troubled horses.”
I’ve never met anyone so involved in their hobby, but then I’ve never met anyone with such a demanding hobby either. With stamps, you pop to the post office, knitting, you pop to Hobbycraft, with horses, you pop to the countryside; hardly an easy mission when you live on the outskirts of London. How much effort does Chelsi go through to stay with her hobby? “There are actually quite a few places around half an hour or so away from me, you just have to find them. There are hundreds of riding schools across England, so you just have to make the effort to find one.” Chelsi’s body language has now shrunk back to its original closed position, as I appear to have slightly irritated her with my apparent ignorance towards her true love.
In an effort to bring back Chelsi’s happy spark, I ask her when her love of horses began and if she remembers her very first ride. My question works as planned: “It was from around 10 or 11 which was when I started riding. For my first ride, was taken to the stable and was told I’d be riding him. I thought he was massive but he was only actually a tiny little pony. When you don’t go horse riding and you see a horse that you’re going to ride, it’s just a whole different perception because you’re not used to being around them. I just remember it was great fun. As long as you listen and do as you’re told, then you’ll be alright.”
As she started at around 10 or 11 year old, this hobby has been a big part of Chelsi’s life for 5 or 6 years. Does she see it going further and becoming a big part of her adult life? “Yes, a career with horses is what I’m working towards, working with horses in any aspect. I need to take a 2 year course in horse management which will give me a national diploma and then in the following two years I need to do a foundation degree. From then on I can be a riding instructor, I can work in finance in the business side of it, and I can be a groom. You can do most things with the foundation degree.” According to Cafre, the college of agriculture, food and enterprise, it’s a popular course that requires 4 GCSEs and includes studying animal science, horse husbandry, breed development, training and business planning and management. I never would have thought that hobbies could have such a huge impact in your future. Not only has this hobby give Chelsi something to do on weekends and unfurled a passion to learn everything there is to know about something, but it has set her up with a career that she knows she will love to do no matter how much the pay or hours.
From talking to Chelsi, I’ve not only learnt quite a bit about her and equestrianism, but also about what having a hobby can do for a person. Having never had a hobby or particular passion, choosing a career and finding entertainment for the weekend can often be a trivial and somewhat difficult task. I understand now that a hobby can be so much more than something you enjoy doing and fill a certain amount of hours in your week. For people like Chelsi, their hobbies are not something they do, they are something they live. It can be the bench post for your entire future and teaches passion, discipline and hardwork. I urge anyone out there with something that they are passionate about, whether its horses or stamps, if you want to take it further, see what you can do. Use your hobby to mould your future and ensure that you do something you truly enjoy as an adult. As for those of us out there who remain hobby-less? GET ONE!
