RubysGold
Well-Known Member
Well it seems a lot longer then 5 years. I feel like Ive had Roo forever. I certainly couldnt be without her now 
I bought a 14yo mare that had been there done that. I was a very nervous rider and I never wanted to jump again. I didn't take to hacking either. so we spent a while schooling at first (I wasn't very good! LOL)
After a few months, I became good friends with a livery, he got me hacking (rarely) and he started teaching (bullying
) me to jump.
With his help I got from this
To this, I wish this was taken a moment later, but it is the biggest jump I ever jumped and I never did it again.
I now really love jumping, and am so grateful to this mare for teaching me to trust her!!
After 18 months, I moved yards, I decided I wanted to be on a yard with an arena so that I could start doing more.
At this yard, I got brave and did a few little showjumping classes, and we did ONE dressage test. It was all good fun, the shows were on site!
And one day we won
That year, she went lame, in the September. After nerve blocks and scans and some steroid injections, it was decided she needed surgery. I was heartbroken, sending her 3 hours away to Newmarket and leaving her for a week, was one of the hardest things to go through! (And costly, as I had to hire a box and driver)
Her legs were like this when I bought her and one day it just made her lame :/
This is her, the day we picked her up, with her bandages on, bless her
This is after surgery when the bandages came off
She had some interesting clip lines, bless her!
And so began the walking in hand every day
Until I could get back on
The yard had trains going past on all sides and I quickly became frightened of her reactions to trains. Especially with the huge ditches we kept getting too close to. so the decision was made to move again. My vet said she could go in a very small paddock through the day at this point And then eventually normal turnout with the herd 
This is my favourite picture of all time
I took her to an in hand show. We came last in the class, but I knew she would, her legs were very obvious to see. But I wanted to take her for a day out, just the two of us (plus my dad the trailer driver! )
When winter came, so did the tears. I bought my second horse in the October. And the liveries instantly started being horrible!! They took an instant dislike to him and made me cry every day. Of course, my horses picked up on that and they too got upset!
The winter turnout became a major issue. If I wanted Roo sound, she needed to get off those fields
So we moved AGAIN. But we moved back to the first yard. So we've done full circle. We may not have an arena, but everyone is friendly, they get the turnout, their happy. I wont leave again!
I have this picture on canvas on my wall. She is now pretty much retired, we do the occasional walking hack but every time we start building fitness she goes lame, so we stopped trying. Ill enjoy her as a pampered pet now
Nowadays, keeping my niece entertained is her job (well, very rarely, once or twice a year theyll turn up at the yard but my niece loves her )
I don't have enough pics of my two together.. but this is last year waiting for me to get them in
I bought a 14yo mare that had been there done that. I was a very nervous rider and I never wanted to jump again. I didn't take to hacking either. so we spent a while schooling at first (I wasn't very good! LOL)
After a few months, I became good friends with a livery, he got me hacking (rarely) and he started teaching (bullying
) me to jump. With his help I got from this
To this, I wish this was taken a moment later, but it is the biggest jump I ever jumped and I never did it again.
I now really love jumping, and am so grateful to this mare for teaching me to trust her!!
After 18 months, I moved yards, I decided I wanted to be on a yard with an arena so that I could start doing more.
At this yard, I got brave and did a few little showjumping classes, and we did ONE dressage test. It was all good fun, the shows were on site!
And one day we won
That year, she went lame, in the September. After nerve blocks and scans and some steroid injections, it was decided she needed surgery. I was heartbroken, sending her 3 hours away to Newmarket and leaving her for a week, was one of the hardest things to go through! (And costly, as I had to hire a box and driver)
Her legs were like this when I bought her and one day it just made her lame :/
This is her, the day we picked her up, with her bandages on, bless her
This is after surgery when the bandages came off
She had some interesting clip lines, bless her!
And so began the walking in hand every day
Until I could get back on
The yard had trains going past on all sides and I quickly became frightened of her reactions to trains. Especially with the huge ditches we kept getting too close to. so the decision was made to move again. My vet said she could go in a very small paddock through the day at this point
And then eventually normal turnout with the herd
This is my favourite picture of all time
I took her to an in hand show. We came last in the class, but I knew she would, her legs were very obvious to see. But I wanted to take her for a day out, just the two of us (plus my dad the trailer driver! )
When winter came, so did the tears. I bought my second horse in the October. And the liveries instantly started being horrible!! They took an instant dislike to him and made me cry every day. Of course, my horses picked up on that and they too got upset!
The winter turnout became a major issue. If I wanted Roo sound, she needed to get off those fields
So we moved AGAIN. But we moved back to the first yard. So we've done full circle. We may not have an arena, but everyone is friendly, they get the turnout, their happy. I wont leave again!
I have this picture on canvas on my wall. She is now pretty much retired, we do the occasional walking hack but every time we start building fitness she goes lame, so we stopped trying. Ill enjoy her as a pampered pet now
Nowadays, keeping my niece entertained is her job (well, very rarely, once or twice a year theyll turn up at the yard but my niece loves her
)
I don't have enough pics of my two together.. but this is last year waiting for me to get them in
