Kokopelli
Well-Known Member
Started the year with two horses, Taz and Westie who were both up for sale as we were going to sell both and buy one horse.
Taz was way to much for me, I won't go into all the details but he was about 16hh and I'm 5ft- not a good combination but a very talented horse who had the capability of going very far. So we decided to try and sell him on I manged to take him to the odd competion but he really did frighten the life out of me when he had a tantrum:
[Copyright image removed]
Westie was a fantastic little pony though but I outgrew him, not height wise but talent wise. I wanted to start doing senior BS and Westie was just not up for it but he tried his heart out. I got him from a horse who wouldn't jump a coloured pole to happily jumping Disco's. Unfortuantly he had a fall at the beginning of the year and he was off work for a few weeks and we thought nothing more of it until he started feeling less confident jumping.
He was developing arthiritis at the age of 9, he failed the vet and we were gutted at first. But we put him up for sale again at a very reduced cost but for a novice rider who wouldn't want to do to much. If you took W off all the energy mix he was the safest little pony. We sold him to a lovely home and we get regular updates from him and the boy who rides him has really had a major confidence boost because of him.
So after managing to sell both my horses in one weekend I was horseless very suddenly. So the horse hunt started, I had some very nasty experiences looking for horses, including one where a horse bolted with me onto open moors. My confidence took a huge knock and I refused to get on a horse again.
But my instructors were the best!! I felt confident riding little ponies so did this and then I started having lunge lessons on my instructors horses and gradually my confidence has returned, but it will never be what it was before this incident. Heres one of the ponies I rode when my confidence was low, at 11.2 she could do anythign naughty and I would just find it funny:
So started looking for horses again, we must have looked at about 30 horses and I was just about to give up. But I open up Horse and Hound and see a little spotty thing in the corner, my mum said it was a worth a look. I wasn't very keen (I wasn't a big fan of appy's at all)
So we pull up to this yard and there in the corner of his stable stood Koko. He looked amazing, I turned to my mum and said trust me to get a mainly white horse. I sat on him after watching him and he needed a lot of work but he just tried his heart out for you, and I was a bit nervous but it was if he was saying "its okay, you can trust me". I hacked him out and again I felt I could trust him, so we arranged for him to come to our yard and I would have a lesson on him and if we liked him he would stay.
Of course I loved him! My instructor wasn't that keen on him but she soon changed her mind. He really was a once in a lifetime horse. I had some amazing and unforgettable times on him:
Then the day came, the worst day of 2010 for me, and sometimes I still find it so hard to come to terms with. He was competing the night before and jumped so nicely I remember writing the report up on here and saying how I was thinking of moving up a height. We came 2nd and qualified for a championship.
Then to see him the next morning was awful, I've never seen a horse deteriorat as fast as he did. I knew there wasn't much hope after reading about EAM. I couldn't believe that my beautiful boy was gone.
He went from this
To this within a couple of hours:
So a majority of people on here know what happened after this, I tried my hardest to be brave for my mum as she loved him as much as I did and was finding it just as tough as me. I was introduced to polocrosse by a friend and fell in love with the game and for christmas I got a racquet and ball to practice with.
I then started horse hunting, again! But nothing was what I wanted, what I wanted was Koko. So I decided not to bother looking and start in the spring. Then Andy found me. He had been turned away for a few months because he didn't have a rider. He was a TB- I hated TBs! He looked so scruffy and spindly but for some reason I wanted him.
I helped Andy out, but Andy has done so much for me aswell. I don't know where I would be now without him and sometimes I like to think that Koko passed away because I was meant to find Andy.
So what have I learnt:
- Don't overhorse yourself
- Don't go to the dealer where I got bolted with (will happily PM people who want to avoid them)
- Polocrosse is a blast
- I wouldn't be where I am today without my mum and instructors
- Don't ever take for granted what you have
Most importantly cherish every moment you have with your horse, it could be your last
Taz was way to much for me, I won't go into all the details but he was about 16hh and I'm 5ft- not a good combination but a very talented horse who had the capability of going very far. So we decided to try and sell him on I manged to take him to the odd competion but he really did frighten the life out of me when he had a tantrum:
[Copyright image removed]
Westie was a fantastic little pony though but I outgrew him, not height wise but talent wise. I wanted to start doing senior BS and Westie was just not up for it but he tried his heart out. I got him from a horse who wouldn't jump a coloured pole to happily jumping Disco's. Unfortuantly he had a fall at the beginning of the year and he was off work for a few weeks and we thought nothing more of it until he started feeling less confident jumping.
He was developing arthiritis at the age of 9, he failed the vet and we were gutted at first. But we put him up for sale again at a very reduced cost but for a novice rider who wouldn't want to do to much. If you took W off all the energy mix he was the safest little pony. We sold him to a lovely home and we get regular updates from him and the boy who rides him has really had a major confidence boost because of him.
So after managing to sell both my horses in one weekend I was horseless very suddenly. So the horse hunt started, I had some very nasty experiences looking for horses, including one where a horse bolted with me onto open moors. My confidence took a huge knock and I refused to get on a horse again.
But my instructors were the best!! I felt confident riding little ponies so did this and then I started having lunge lessons on my instructors horses and gradually my confidence has returned, but it will never be what it was before this incident. Heres one of the ponies I rode when my confidence was low, at 11.2 she could do anythign naughty and I would just find it funny:
So started looking for horses again, we must have looked at about 30 horses and I was just about to give up. But I open up Horse and Hound and see a little spotty thing in the corner, my mum said it was a worth a look. I wasn't very keen (I wasn't a big fan of appy's at all)
So we pull up to this yard and there in the corner of his stable stood Koko. He looked amazing, I turned to my mum and said trust me to get a mainly white horse. I sat on him after watching him and he needed a lot of work but he just tried his heart out for you, and I was a bit nervous but it was if he was saying "its okay, you can trust me". I hacked him out and again I felt I could trust him, so we arranged for him to come to our yard and I would have a lesson on him and if we liked him he would stay.
Of course I loved him! My instructor wasn't that keen on him but she soon changed her mind. He really was a once in a lifetime horse. I had some amazing and unforgettable times on him:
Then the day came, the worst day of 2010 for me, and sometimes I still find it so hard to come to terms with. He was competing the night before and jumped so nicely I remember writing the report up on here and saying how I was thinking of moving up a height. We came 2nd and qualified for a championship.
Then to see him the next morning was awful, I've never seen a horse deteriorat as fast as he did. I knew there wasn't much hope after reading about EAM. I couldn't believe that my beautiful boy was gone.
He went from this
To this within a couple of hours:
So a majority of people on here know what happened after this, I tried my hardest to be brave for my mum as she loved him as much as I did and was finding it just as tough as me. I was introduced to polocrosse by a friend and fell in love with the game and for christmas I got a racquet and ball to practice with.
I then started horse hunting, again! But nothing was what I wanted, what I wanted was Koko. So I decided not to bother looking and start in the spring. Then Andy found me. He had been turned away for a few months because he didn't have a rider. He was a TB- I hated TBs! He looked so scruffy and spindly but for some reason I wanted him.
I helped Andy out, but Andy has done so much for me aswell. I don't know where I would be now without him and sometimes I like to think that Koko passed away because I was meant to find Andy.
So what have I learnt:
- Don't overhorse yourself
- Don't go to the dealer where I got bolted with (will happily PM people who want to avoid them)
- Polocrosse is a blast
- I wouldn't be where I am today without my mum and instructors
- Don't ever take for granted what you have
Most importantly cherish every moment you have with your horse, it could be your last
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but at least it had a happy ending! I've been following your posts about Andy and he's lovely! I hope you have a fantastic year in 2011 
