You Gave Me The Answer - When did you learn to ride a horse?

It’s no secret that Paul loves animals and nature, with the natural world regularly featuring in his songwriting. Songs like ‘Country Dreamer’ (which appears on the recently released The Backyard – One Hand Clapping Sessions) show his appreciation for the countryside and the creatures that reside within it – and in case you hadn’t noticed, Paul has a particular affinity with horses!

In fact, Paul revealed in June that his favourite animal is a horse, which makes sense when you consider all the photos and videos of him riding horses over the years. His Appaloosa horse graced the artwork of McCartney III in 2020, and the music video for ‘3 Legs’ includes footage of Paul and Linda riding horses on their farm in Scotland around the time RAM was recorded.

With this in mind, this month’s ‘You Gave Me The Answer’ question comes from Jennifer on
Facebook…

Jennifer: Some of my favourite images of you are you on horseback. Where did you first learn to really ride a horse, and do you still ride today?

Paul: I learned with Linda, who was a very good rider even though she never had her own horse until I bought her one. When she was at college she had helped at her local stables in Scottsdale, Arizona - in return for that, she'd get to ride the horses and stuff. 

She actually rode with an equestrian team when she was 15 at Madison Square Garden. You've got to be good to get in that! So, she basically taught me what to do.

PaulMcCartney.com: There’s film footage of you guys riding up in Scotland in 1969/1970, and you look quite confident!

Paul: Oh yeah, it didn't take that long to learn. But it wasn't any formal lessons. It was just, ‘Get up on the horse, sit upright’. It was more about posture and tucking your bum in and things like that… And I learned by falling off a lot!

You’ll be pleased to know I've finally got a helmet. I think I always felt like a cowboy or something, so I preferred wearing a cap. But then Nancy and Mary wore helmets, and all the grandkids did so I thought I'd better get sensible. This is very recently, in the last couple of weeks. Breaking news: I've got a posh new hat! 

Safety first, that’s what we like to hear! If you’ve got a question for Paul, ask it via the Paul McCartney Official Fan Group on Facebook, or by tagging us on social media @paulmccartney.