Bobby Vaughan-Jones is Clyn Du's proprietor and main instructor. Her association with horses began when she was 10 years of age and used to beg rides on friends' ponies. As she developed her riding skills, she used to exercise horses for owners who didn't have the time or inclination to ride themselves. By school leaving age, she knew she wanted to work with horses and so took a place at a riding centre in Hartlepool, where she worked for a year.
Bobby's next move was to a livery yard in Darlington. There were over 30 horses there and no land so they were all stabled - a heavy workload for the three staff employed. she worked there for 3 years, gaining invaluable experience along the way. It was here she acquired her first horse, a mare named Mayflower.
She discovered Wales when she took a position at the Welsh Equestrian Centre in Llansteffan. She met future husband Julian during the time she worked in Llansteffan and continued the romance when she moved on to a yard in Gloucester. The yard specialised in dressage and she added further skills to her repertoire. This is also where she became involed in the Riding for the Disabled Association.
In 1969 she returned to Wales, this time to get married. A year later Bobby and Julian bought Clyn Du, a 30 acre farm in an elevated position on the outskirts of Llanelli. For the next 7 years, Bobby spent her time training horses for others and solving horse problems.
In 1978, Clyn Du Farm became a riding centre. During the 21 years Bobby has taught at Clyn Du, she has brought on many talented riders. Verona Pettigrew, Adrain Thomas and Alexa Moore were all pupils at Clyn Du and now teach at the centre.
Bobby enjoys all aspects of her work. Bringing on young horses and schooling experienced horses to higher standards are particularly rewarding aspects of her work but she also enjoys teaching and feels the warm glow of pride when she sees her pupils start from scratch and develop into good riders.
Her work with the local RDA is also important to her.
Bobby's day starts before 9 a.m. when she begins to stable and feed the horses and ponies. Her busy schedule varies from day to day but vet calls, farriers and work experience placements are regular events. Lessons occur throughout the day, six days a week, but tend to be concentrated after 3 p.m.
Her day doesn't end until every horse and pony has been fed and returned to the fields for the night and every stable and pony tie is mucked-out ready for the next day. She often doesn't retire until 8 p.m.
Eventing is part of her schedule and through the spring and summer she is often called into action on her day off! She rides for the South Gower Riding Club and regularly enters her 3 principal horses for events.
Unfortunately, Llanelli is too far west for the big events and, what with the pressures of work as well as transport time, Bobby opts not to get too involved in the eventing scene. "Serious eventing requires horses specially trained for the disciplines and not used in the school environment," said Bobby. "All our horses are called into action and it is difficult to focus them on serious competition when they are required to work with riders of varying experience."
Bobby has suffered her fair share of horse-related accidents, too. As a child she learnt a basic lesson in self-preservation as she made the error of tying the lead rein of her friend's pony around her hand. "The pony took off and I was dragged along the ground until the lead rope snapped. My hands were badly grazed, my coat was torn and I had a hoof print on my back!"
She also broke two fingers coming off a horse in Darlington and more recently crashed into a jump wing, sustained delayed concussion and cut her face badly when she keeled over that evening! It just goes to show that riding is a dangerous sport and it doesn't matter how good you are, sometimes falls are inevitable and injuries are common.
Bobby's reputation is such that people travel miles to be taught by her - even when there are riding centres nearer to home, some of which are equipped with the latest and best facilities! Everyone who moves in horse cirles in and around Llanelli know Bobby and it is a tribute to her skill and success that parents who were once taught by Bobby now insist that their children are taught by her, too.
