"A Life with Horses: Love, Lessons, and the Magic of Connection"
Must Love Horses Is Back – With Alex Calder
This blog has lived before, and I was lucky then to have incredible support from horse lovers around the world. One of the earliest and most inspiring supporters was the amazing Alex Calder. So when the idea of rebooting Must Love Horses came to life, I knew I had to reconnect with her. I’m honored that Alex agreed to be one of our very first interviewees.
Have you ever felt the quiet power of a horse’s presence? Alex Calder has spent a lifetime with these incredible animals, and in this interview, she shares from childhood victories to the simple, profound joy of connection.
Alex Calder is an Irish equestrian influencer known for her captivating Instagram account, @betweentwoears, where she shares stunning horseback perspectives of the County Wicklow countryside.
"Leaning your body against their shoulder is probably the closest you can get as an adult to the feeling of being held as a child."
1. What about horses captured your heart and made you fall in love with them?
Horses have always been part of my life. I don’t remember my first encounters with them, they have always been there, part of what makes up our family and our life. What I love most about them is how they want to connect with you, how they will sneak up behind you and suddenly there’s a huge nose sniffing your head, and how they love to sniff you and rest their heads on your shoulders. I love their stillness and their calm. Leaning your body against their shoulder is probably the closest you can get as an adult to the feeling of being held as a child. I love the communication connection you can build with a horse you have for a long time, how you can read each other’s signals both while riding and on the ground.
2. In your experience, what’s the most fulfilling moment or accomplishment you’ve had while working with horses?
When I was a child, I won some classes at the Dublin Horse Show, which is the pinnacle of the season for us here in Ireland - for years I had been fixated with qualifying for one of them, an equitation class known as ‘the McDonalds’ (because it was sponsored by McDonalds). When I finally qualified for it, every night before I went to sleep for the 3 months leading up to the final, I repeated three times “I am going to win the McDonalds”. And I did. I guess now we’d call that manifesting.
As a child you probably don’t realise the amount of time and effort you put into training because it’s just all you do outside of school. But as an adult, with lots more going on in life, I appreciated smaller moments of accomplishment a lot more. My event horse Ben, who was the ears of Between Two Ears until he retired, is a complex horse. Dressage was always a challenge so executing one movement well in a test, which had been difficult to achieve in training was always so satisfying. And cross-country, which was always our favourite part, was always a joy. There are still complex parts of courses that I can remember the feeling of riding, where he just made it feel effortless. He always made cross-country feel so safe, and that’s the most important quality you can have in an eventer, in my opinion.
My children have ponies now, so I’m starting on that journey of teaching them to ride - teaching your own children can definitely be a challenge! But seeing them accomplish things, like using their tiny brushes to groom their ponies, or figure out rising trot is just lovely.
3. For someone just starting their journey with horses, what’s the first piece of advice you would give them to ensure a successful and enjoyable experience?
Horses don’t owe you anything, and with them you can be on top of the world one day and have your heart broken the next, so only do it because you love being around them, looking after them, and spending time with them, not just riding them.
Thank you, Alex! So much wisdom and inspiration.
Follow Alex’s riding life through Ireland at @betweentwoears.
Welcome back to Must Love Horses. Here’s to learning about each other's love for horses. I hope you join the blog's journey ahead. Check out more interviews: