childhood memories, first pony?

[Christmas_Kate]

A nice post for monday morning.


I was talking to someone the other day and she was telling me about her first pony. Her parents weren't even remotely horsey.
One christmas morning she was given a riding hat. Her parents then told her her other present was in the garage. Thinking it was a bike, she went to investigate, and was jumped on by a 3yo unbroken colt straight off the welsh mountains! Being about 8 at the time, she didnt have a clue what to do. The pony was turned out into their field and by new year exchanged for a real first pony lol. But she remembers somehow the guy who delivered the colt had managed to decorate his man with tinsel, and maintains it's one of her best memories.


What are your memories about getting your first pony? Or first riding lessons? Was it a suprise? did you get to choose? Had you dreamt of that day for years and did it live up to all expectations?

 

[GinaB]

At the age of 22 I'm still waiting for my first pony

I hold out hope my mum and dad will eventually give in!

 

[vhf]

My first sight of my first pony was him walking round the corner of a tatty barn with laminitic feet that turned up at the ends and balls of dung in his matted black coat. we paid £50 dollars including saddle and bridle (1974 and Canada!) and took him home in the back of a VW camper. Being 4, I remember most that he left a dropping on the seat!

He took some fixing but was with us for 20 years; I won enough on him to buy my next pony 2 years later - I intend one day to write his biography as it is the stuff of little girls' stories.

 

[splatty]

My first pony was a 3yrs just broken in nf pony only about 12.2hh, parents were completely non horsey luckily we had horsey friends who took us under their wing. For the first 2yrs pony was a bucking bronco (no wonder though looking back at what i expected him to do at 3) also taught me to stick on. Eventually turned into the most fantastic and funny 1st pony, he never liked jumping used to do enormous cat jumps but he absolutely loved hunting really used to look after me kept him for 8yrs and the last thing i heard was he was looking after another little girl then again that was over 20yrs ago, how time flies.

 

[welshstar]

My first pony was about 2 when we got him. I was about 3 or 4 and he was shared between me, my two sisters and this girl and her brothers (they weren't really interested tho!) who we knew.We brought him fully a year later tho. We brought him from a girl at the stables where we kept charlie. He was supposed to be 5 (as far as she knew aswell) but it soon turned out that when collected form the moors or somewhere liek that him and another yearling managed to get on the lorry with the 3 year olds!! One of my earliest memories was riding out of the pony block on him on lead rein (i have a picture of it too!!) When i was little i just used to walk and trot about on him, little tiny dot on him!!! My sisters were the ones who got him going really!

When i was bout 7 or 8 i really started getting going on him and aged 9 i did my first ever xc!!! I remember being quite scared, he trotted around every jump as i was doing pairs!!! But i did the 12 years and under and despite getting eliminated at bright yellow barrels ( on a xc course!!) i got around. He hated flatwork but was a brilliant little jumper, when he felt like it!! I had jumped intemediate tracks on him, nearly always in the top 3. But it was either all or nothing with him back then (i remember one time gonig over the last, nipping around and me falling into a hedge!! luckily we were through the timers!) Then when i was aged 13 i outgrew him so he was sold.....3 years later back up for sale and we brought him back this may!! Needless to say i haven't really grown much since i was 13 so still have great fun playing pony games!!

 

[not_with_it]

I still have my first 'pony'. She came to me for schooling after her owner had fallen off and broken her shoulder. She was really sharp, spooky and unbalanced. I was a bit scared of her at first as I knew what she was capable of. A year later she was mine. Since then we have gone from strength to strength and she has turned out to be something really special. She has taught me so much.

 

[clipclop]

My first pony story is fairytale.

I was 7 years old. I was opening my presents and I finished opening them. Not many though

Then my Mum and Dad said "Look in that box back there".
Sat in the corner was just a normal cardboard box. I looked inside and there was a Felt saddle, a bridle, a brush, a halter, a hoofpick, a tin of saddle soap and a sponge (I can remember it clear as day). I remember thinking "Hmmm, this must be for Jenny" (The farm donkey).

We then all went downstairs and outside the back door was a Rice Trailer. Dad opened it up and inside was "Patch" a little lack and white shetland pony.

My Dad had saved him from a Farm he has been too. He had curled up hooves and was a real sad ol chap but I loved him so much. He lived outside the back door for quite a few weeks. He had the trailer as his stable and a little area to walk around whilst he got better. I just went out and brushed him and practiced putting tack on and taking it off again.

I think by the Spring we were cantering about.

He was with us for years. He was finally PTS when I was 21. He used to just wonder about the place doing whatever he liked.

 

[Seahorse]

My parents said I could have a pony so I phoned up an advert out of the local paper and arranged to go and see the pony with my best friend. He was a 13.2hh grey gelding and was stabled 12 miles away.
So me and my friend Kay walked the whole way and went and saw him. He was perfect and I had my first ever jump on him that day.
I then phoned my mum up and the conversation went something like this
'Mum, you know you said I could have a pony?'
'yes'
'well I've found one I want, he's in High Halstow, can you come and pick us up please!'

I can't believe to this day that she came and actually bought him for me! What a spoilt brat I am............

He was the perfect first pony, an absolute star! I didn't even know how to tack up when I first got him, but the previous owner helped me a lot and soon I was really confident doing everything with him.
If my parents had paid someone to find me the perfect pony they would have picked him. He was a little superstar.
We found out later that he was an ex JA showjumping pony, and had jumped at Hickstead, but was also about 7 years older that we thought.

I sold him to another little girl after about 5 years, and she kept him until he died recently aged about 30 and he taught her daughter to ride.

Sam x