LauraWheeler
Well-Known Member
I was still batteling with Herbies issues and trying to come to terms with the loss of my belovid mare.
But something made me reply to an ad on a local website intitled "Could you take on a laminitic pony?" The ad was for a 14.1hh new forest pony. The photo was of a very very fat, very very hairy, orange pony stood in a steam. I emailed the owner detailing my expereance in dealing with 9 years of Lucy's laminitas and her last 8 months spent on steroids. The owner phoned back and left a message on my phone to say she had already found the pony a new home. I didn't realy think any more of it as I wasn't actively looking for another pony esp one with health issues. Then a week later my phone rang. It was the lady who placed the ad. She said she couldn't stop reading my email and that I sounded like the sort of person she was looking for so she had told the other people they couldn't have him and would I please go and take a look.
I agreed, wondering what I had let myself in for. Off we toddled one saturday afternoon to meet a very fat, very hairy orange new forest pony. He was so sweet. I tacked him up and rode him in the field and he was a star, despite the fact that he haddn't been sat on for months.
I said I would take him on and a couple of weeks later we picked him up. we didn't pay anything for Merryn but paid £100 for a saddle, two bridles, loads of rugs, buckets, grooming kits, headcollers, leadropes, firstaid stuff, a bag of feed and a bail of hay.
When we got him home I put the weightape on him and to my horror I descovered my 14.1hh pony weighed 469kgs . So muzzle went on and the diet began. After we had had him a week he suddenly went very lame My OH went nuts, everyone including the farrier diagnosed laminitas I was shore it was so popped a poltice on over night. The next morning I removed the poltice to find pus He recovered that abcess only to get two more streight away the third one was huge and it took two weeks of polticing to get rid of. It was then desided to put front shoes on him. His lami he had before I took him on had left a gap in his whiteline and that was why he was getting all those abcesses. Just when we were able to ride out it snowed and the snow hung around for weeks, but finaly we were able to ride once the snow melted and his weight started to slowly come off. we mainly hacked with abit of schooling and jumping. He didn't realy enjoy working in the school as a lifetime of obiecety has taken it's toll on his joints already
My OHs daughter started to ride him. She was very nervous at first but she was soon confidantly walking him round the school and over poles on her own and hacking him out on a very loose leadrein out on the open forest.
I rode him over to the area of the forest were he was born. It probably seems silly but it did feel like he recognised it. It was a very long ride so sadly we didn't have time to ride round and look for his mum who is still out there somewhere I think.
we had a go at online showing which he did quite well at. Being well placed and even winning a video class for the best hacking horse. I even took him to a real show and did the new forest pony 4yrs and over inhand. Merryn was a star and behaved so well. Even though we came last as the judge said he wasn't "in show condition" I was so very proud of him.
We took him to the beach. He found it all abit stressfull at first but once I led him round abit and he realised it was fine he settled down. He refused to go in the sea so I had to lead him in, once we got him in we couldn't get him out He was having such fun splashing
Sortly after the trip to the beach Merryns behavour changed. One day on a hack he felt like a coiled spring, suddenly for no apparent reason he did a huge buck and sent me flying through the air. I don't know who was more shocked Me or Merryn. the next few hacks were very hairy indeed. On the fourth hack I felt he was going to explode so I got off, normaly he is much calmer when I'm on the ground, but this time it didn't work, He flipped, kicked out narrowly missing my head, I had to let go and he galloped off ahead. He stopped after a short distance and I caught him. My friend and I were in total shock as now we had seen what he was doing, he was doing a full on rodeo show. My super safe pony had turned into a bucking bronko. I tried to lead him home, Having seen what he was doing I knew I had no chance of sitting it. Suddenly he flipped again, this time he kicked out and got me in the stomoch I let go and he galloped off full pelt across the forest. we followed him hoping to cut him off further up the track, suddenly he stopped and whinned, He was looking round franticly so I called him, He turned round and ran back down the track he was on and ended up at the place he had exploded. He whinned again, I called him again and he turned round and trotted twords us. I expected him to go streight to my friends horse but he trotted up to me, stood infront of me and gently nuzzeled my stomoch. I realy feel he was saying sorry I managed to get him home.
I was very puzzled by his behavour, it was totaly out of the blue and very unlike Merryn. I had the usual checks done but we eventualy discovered it was due to the fact that he had much to much suger in his diet I changed his food and put him on a calmer and he was back to his old self. Only trouble was I felt terrified every time I rode him. It took me a long time to admit to anyone how scared I was as I felt so stupid being scared of Merryn. I considered re homing him at one point but just couldn't bare the thought of not owning him anymore So slowly I started hacking him out and he realy looked after me. He helped me regain my confidance. I paniced everytime we came across something but Merryn remained calm and held my hand through it all. Now we are happily hacking out on our own and in company.
And now here we are today 3 years later and I have the most wonderful pony in the world. we are starting a new adventure together, I'm breaking him to drive, Which in true Merryn style, he is taking all in his stride .
I am so lucky to own a pony like Merryn. He never gets all the credit he deserves. He may not be a flashy competition pony but he's amazing. So kind and gentle and just wants to be everyones friend. He tries his heart out, nomatter what you ask him to do. And he's always there when I need a cuddle, my fluffy orange pony. Words can't express how much he means to me. My life wouldn't be the same if he wasn't in it.
I made this video for him. All the pics are in order from the day he arrived to the other day when he longreined in full harness for the very first time.
[video=youtube_share;Qzd23zMPOLw]http://youtu.be/Qzd23zMPOLw[/video]
Oh dear thats a momoth post, sorry
Thankyou if you read it all and watched the video to. I'm shore I've got something chocolaty around somewhere 
xxxxxx
But something made me reply to an ad on a local website intitled "Could you take on a laminitic pony?" The ad was for a 14.1hh new forest pony. The photo was of a very very fat, very very hairy, orange pony stood in a steam. I emailed the owner detailing my expereance in dealing with 9 years of Lucy's laminitas and her last 8 months spent on steroids. The owner phoned back and left a message on my phone to say she had already found the pony a new home. I didn't realy think any more of it as I wasn't actively looking for another pony esp one with health issues. Then a week later my phone rang. It was the lady who placed the ad. She said she couldn't stop reading my email and that I sounded like the sort of person she was looking for so she had told the other people they couldn't have him and would I please go and take a look.
I agreed, wondering what I had let myself in for. Off we toddled one saturday afternoon to meet a very fat, very hairy orange new forest pony. He was so sweet. I tacked him up and rode him in the field and he was a star, despite the fact that he haddn't been sat on for months.
I said I would take him on and a couple of weeks later we picked him up. we didn't pay anything for Merryn but paid £100 for a saddle, two bridles, loads of rugs, buckets, grooming kits, headcollers, leadropes, firstaid stuff, a bag of feed and a bail of hay.
When we got him home I put the weightape on him and to my horror I descovered my 14.1hh pony weighed 469kgs . So muzzle went on and the diet began. After we had had him a week he suddenly went very lame My OH went nuts, everyone including the farrier diagnosed laminitas I was shore it was so popped a poltice on over night. The next morning I removed the poltice to find pus He recovered that abcess only to get two more streight away the third one was huge and it took two weeks of polticing to get rid of. It was then desided to put front shoes on him. His lami he had before I took him on had left a gap in his whiteline and that was why he was getting all those abcesses. Just when we were able to ride out it snowed and the snow hung around for weeks, but finaly we were able to ride once the snow melted and his weight started to slowly come off. we mainly hacked with abit of schooling and jumping. He didn't realy enjoy working in the school as a lifetime of obiecety has taken it's toll on his joints already
My OHs daughter started to ride him. She was very nervous at first but she was soon confidantly walking him round the school and over poles on her own and hacking him out on a very loose leadrein out on the open forest.
I rode him over to the area of the forest were he was born. It probably seems silly but it did feel like he recognised it. It was a very long ride so sadly we didn't have time to ride round and look for his mum who is still out there somewhere I think.
we had a go at online showing which he did quite well at. Being well placed and even winning a video class for the best hacking horse. I even took him to a real show and did the new forest pony 4yrs and over inhand. Merryn was a star and behaved so well. Even though we came last as the judge said he wasn't "in show condition" I was so very proud of him.
We took him to the beach. He found it all abit stressfull at first but once I led him round abit and he realised it was fine he settled down. He refused to go in the sea so I had to lead him in, once we got him in we couldn't get him out He was having such fun splashing
Sortly after the trip to the beach Merryns behavour changed. One day on a hack he felt like a coiled spring, suddenly for no apparent reason he did a huge buck and sent me flying through the air. I don't know who was more shocked Me or Merryn. the next few hacks were very hairy indeed. On the fourth hack I felt he was going to explode so I got off, normaly he is much calmer when I'm on the ground, but this time it didn't work, He flipped, kicked out narrowly missing my head, I had to let go and he galloped off ahead. He stopped after a short distance and I caught him. My friend and I were in total shock as now we had seen what he was doing, he was doing a full on rodeo show. My super safe pony had turned into a bucking bronko. I tried to lead him home, Having seen what he was doing I knew I had no chance of sitting it. Suddenly he flipped again, this time he kicked out and got me in the stomoch I let go and he galloped off full pelt across the forest. we followed him hoping to cut him off further up the track, suddenly he stopped and whinned, He was looking round franticly so I called him, He turned round and ran back down the track he was on and ended up at the place he had exploded. He whinned again, I called him again and he turned round and trotted twords us. I expected him to go streight to my friends horse but he trotted up to me, stood infront of me and gently nuzzeled my stomoch. I realy feel he was saying sorry I managed to get him home.
I was very puzzled by his behavour, it was totaly out of the blue and very unlike Merryn. I had the usual checks done but we eventualy discovered it was due to the fact that he had much to much suger in his diet I changed his food and put him on a calmer and he was back to his old self. Only trouble was I felt terrified every time I rode him. It took me a long time to admit to anyone how scared I was as I felt so stupid being scared of Merryn. I considered re homing him at one point but just couldn't bare the thought of not owning him anymore So slowly I started hacking him out and he realy looked after me. He helped me regain my confidance. I paniced everytime we came across something but Merryn remained calm and held my hand through it all. Now we are happily hacking out on our own and in company.
And now here we are today 3 years later and I have the most wonderful pony in the world. we are starting a new adventure together, I'm breaking him to drive, Which in true Merryn style, he is taking all in his stride .
I am so lucky to own a pony like Merryn. He never gets all the credit he deserves. He may not be a flashy competition pony but he's amazing. So kind and gentle and just wants to be everyones friend. He tries his heart out, nomatter what you ask him to do. And he's always there when I need a cuddle, my fluffy orange pony. Words can't express how much he means to me. My life wouldn't be the same if he wasn't in it.
I made this video for him. All the pics are in order from the day he arrived to the other day when he longreined in full harness for the very first time.
[video=youtube_share;Qzd23zMPOLw]http://youtu.be/Qzd23zMPOLw[/video]
Oh dear thats a momoth post, sorry
Thankyou if you read it all and watched the video to. I'm shore I've got something chocolaty around somewhere xxxxxx
xx
