Chucked on the muck heap...

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wilf

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Friends,

Okay, this may rate as a truly bizarre post, but you may be able to help me win an argument or at the very least allow me to know that I am not going totally mad.

I have not ridden in a number of years (lots of boring reasons, shall we say money and leave it at that?) but when I was learning back in the 70's and 80's (cripes am I really that old?) there was a tradition that, on someone’s birthday or when they left a yard they would be chucked on the muck heap.

It certainly happened to me, and I certainly did it to others, I even put a
scene in a novel I have written describing this. However, I have had a couple of messages from readers who question that this would happen, ever did etc.

So, please, tell me that this was not something that just happened at the few yards I was at. If it was more common place - does it still happen, or, God forbid the health and safety police have ruled out this along with 'getting back on' after you had fallen off (yelled with the famous phrase 'don't let go of the bloody reins’...)

Thank you, I would like to be able to justify what I have written (probably to non-horsey people!) and know that the horse world has not changed that much...

Thanks

Wilf
 
Oh yes this certainly did happen when I was a kid and after the muck heap you got chucked in the water tank to get clean!!!!!!! One girl I do recall had a December birthday so the ice on the tank had to be broken before she went in.!! This was back in the 1960's.
 
Yep this used to happen when i was younger. Water trough, muck heap .. job done :D

I chucked my friends little girl in the muckheap the other day, she is about 8yrs old and she was driving me mad ALL day and i kept threatening her with it but she wouldnt listen so in the end i threw her and she kind of star spun in the air and landed face first in the heap ... mid scream so mouth open :o

I thought it would all be fun fun fun and she would just laugh and we would all laugh ..... Oh no .. She SCREAMED the yard down big time :o

I know only have to threaten it so i think i made my point but man did she cry :confused:
 
Antw32uk - that is truely evil but no doubt well deserved (I am sure we would have not cried the place down!)

Personally I have a December birthday so know the impact of icy water all too well... At least the muck heap was warm! :)
 
we used to do this at pony club camp... the person declared winner of the stable management award, and the "most helpful child" award got declared teachers pets and went in the water trough or muck heap, which ever was nearer! :)
 
Because I kept my birthday secret I was once hosed and then rolled in turkey feathers on a freezing cold December day!! Think I actually preferred the muckheap.
 
Yep - used to happen all the time when i was a kid... vaguely remember having 'muck heap fights' in the summer residentials too....:D
 
Definately used to happen, at the RS I used to help out as a kid it was trough first and then the muck heap so everything stuck :o my b'day is the end of Oct and that was cold enough - happy days :D
 
At the yard I worked at it was tradition to be thrown in the hay soaker not the muck heap. As my birthday Is in January it did not make for a pleasant experience!

Carol
 
Yes, I worked at Patchetts in the '80s and I think it was the water trough first, then the muck heap and then rolled in one of the shavings beds. We also had a disgusting "swimming pool" where new working pupils were dunked, so I went in there too!

The new working pupils were also tricked into going to see the clubhouse barman who we were told was a doctor (yup, I was naieve!) to give us a tetanus shot!
He pulled down our jods and stuck a biro hard in our bums!

Can you imagine if anyone did that to a 16 year old girl now? They would be put in jail!

Needless to say I am scarred for life!
 
We use to sit on the muck heap to keep warm in the winter and also just to sit on it in the summer..loved the aroma beautiful. Yes the water treatment too. health and safety would have a fit now!
 
Monkers - it was certainly a different age! I hope the only scar was from the biro!

Indie999 - oh I loved that aroma la muck! How mad does it sound that I would give anything to have it happen to me once more! ;-)
 
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