Chris Lawry can’t imagine life without horses and says they are good for the soul.

She has been around horses all of her life and is president of the Central West Savvy Club, the purpose of which is to help horse enthusiasts learn to best handle and connect with their animals.

Horsing around took a back seat to motherhood for Mrs Lawry and she has since returned to the saddle, which has rekindled her love of her four-legged friends.

“I can’t imagine life without horses,” she said.

“I learnt [to ride] sitting on a cushion on the pommel of my parents’ saddles when they mustered.

“I went to go back to horse riding after rearing children and I found that I’d lost my confidence and now I’m more at home on a horse than I am on the ground, it’s just amazing.”

Her rediscovered confidence around horses is thanks to her involvement with the Central West Savvy Club.

The group of 21 enthusiasts help each other better understand their horses and learn how to improve their relationship with their equine friends.

The club is open to anyone, but Mrs Lawry has found horsemanship groups tend to cater more for women wanting to better enjoy their experience with horses.

“Its just come about because there were a few of us who had confidence issues and things like that,” she said. “It’s more based on natural horsemanship techniques.

“Some of the people compete in different disciplines, but most of us are just enjoying learning about our horses.

“Most of the clinics I’ve been to have been mainly women and they’ve maybe got back to horses later in life or just decided to get a horse and they find that they haven’t got much confidence.

“This is one way you gain confidence by learning ground skills, understanding your horse.

“This group, it encompasses all different backgrounds, all different age groups ... it’s a really great group to be involved in. I’ve never experienced anything like it.”

The Central West Savvy Club meets monthly at various locations around Orange where members learn about and practise different aspects of horsemanship.

Email lawcow@live.com or call Chris Lawry on 0408 650 750 for more information on the Central West Savvy Club.