Straight from the Horse's Mouth!

Kuchina Johnson is the daughter of renowned horse trainer Brassy Searle. Kuchina, a well known registered horse and dog trainer based in Hampshire, specialises in giving equestrian and canine displays.

She has been training animals all of her life and has been the subject of many articles in the equestrian and general press. Kuchina and her animals have appeared on television many times, in programmes such as Black Beauty, Old Country and Out of Town. They have also featured in commercials for Tia Maria and Bird's Trifle, and in the films Mutiny On The Bounty and Gone With The Wind.

Having used Australian stock since she was 15, Kuchina is now also an agent for Down Under Products of the Outback and can assist with any related enquiry.

Goat

"The first animal I trained by myself was a goat - yes a goat" says Kuchina. "He had a sleek coat and four legs; what more could a 12-year-old girl ask for? His name was McGinty, after the song Paddy McGinty's Goat. I can still see him standing on his tub looking longingly at my bulging pockets of pony nuts. He could jump a full course like a stag, half-pass as good as any of my father's horses and he followed me around like a dog."

"The late Jack Hargreaves was visiting my dad's yard (he was a regular visitor) when he saw me longreining McGinty. He asked my dad what was going on and he told him it was my first attempt at training on my own, as he would not let me train a powerful animal such as a horse yet, so a goat was a good start. Mr Hargreaves asked if he could make a film of my efforts and from that day McGinty was a star. I remember my parents thought I was becoming an alcoholic when my dad's Guinness kept disappearing and he threw a fit when he saw me giving it to the goat."

"I suddenly feel very old, as that was 22 years ago. McGinty stayed with me for many years, until I married. I even moved him on my wedding day and I cried when I had to go on honeymoon and leave him. My husband laughed at how I could cry over such a mangy smelly old goat, but I did and I am not ashamed to admit it - to him I owe a lot."

Palomino

"Next was a little Palomino horse (he was only 15 hands high). Standing in the yard was the most beautiful shiny horse I had ever seen, his coat was as gold as any coin and his mane and tail as white as snow, a complete nutcase. I wanted to call him Amigo meaning 'friend', however that 'friend' broke my leg on one occasion and went on to render me unconscious on another!

"I have been called 'Kuchy' for as long a I can remember, so when I saw the registration K5 CHY for sale that was that - I had to have it on my Mercedes E Class. I have K12 CHY as well and it will go on my husband's SLK. Next will be my horse box, a 10 ton van.

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