I learnt from his owner that Pacha passed away suddenly recently. He never recovered from the illness that he suffered in 2012, and was retired ever since.
I shall keep a special memory from this little horse. He has been the only horse which I have worked in freedom, on ground, beside riding. The difficulties I had experienced in riding him at first prompted me to do this, in order to try and soothe down his anxiety which was a strong hindrance to get him calm and relaxed when mounted. It allowed me to get very close to him, and to build a kind of relationship which ethologists advocate for, very rightly I must say. We spent long sessions in the outdoor covered arena, working and playing in freedom. He was very keen to obey my vocal demands, and would stop, start, take whatever gait I requested. I particularly enjoyed him walking by my side, careful to keep at shoulder level, halting when I did, and adjusting his speed to mine. At that point, we could communicate in a manner that I would not have believed possible.
I could measure the quality of our relationship the day when a storm broke out as he was free in the arena, with me standing in the middle: when the lightning flashed, he was afraid and came straight to me for shelter and reassurance.
As I already wrote somewhere about Eole, my experience with Pacha has shown again that horsemanship is first and foremost a matter of sentiment.
'There is no secret so close as that between a rider and his horse'
Robert S. Surtees
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