Sparkles
Well-Known Member
Some of you may remember, some might not...Barney, aka, Baby Barns!
Well, that was just over 2 years ago when I last posted about it. It's been drama after drama and his work jinx lived on, even after we moved from the previous yard. He's had viruses, injury after injury, melanomas....you name it, he's done it or had it. Bless him. Sort of. I've never known a horse like it. We had such high high hopes for him, but, he's now coming up to 7 and about 17.2hh [!!!] and has managed to have a grand total of about 4 weeks riding in his entire life probably due to every time he started work, or restarted again, he'd write himself off [through things NOT work related which was even more infuriating]. Honestly, he grew up for the first 3 years of his life in a field that had sodding baler twine and barbed wire in places, and he never got as much as a scratch on him....soon as he was older, put in a stable and a pristine, square, post and rail paddock, then all hell broke loose on the injuries front from there on! Ironic huh. Makes you wonder.
And in spite of all of this, he has been the easiest horse on the planet. He's been with us since he was 6 months old and shall remain here till he retires [whenever that may be!].
Most the time, it wasn't 'serious' things which he'd manage to do, just things awkward enough to lay him off ridden work.
However, last year and this year, he had some very serious things happen to him. I in fact, asked for HHO prayers and vibes on both occasions for him...he had two very close calls at being put down. Words cannot describe that. This horse has been that 'one' to me the moment I saw him when I started at my yard 5 years ago now, doing flat out extended trot doing a lloyds tsb impression in the field and coming straight up to me as a still entire 2 year old. He just took my breath away and is the closest thing to a hispanic I've got.
He's stayed on my heart since and honestly, words cannot begin to describe what this horse means to me. I've never had love at first sight with a horse, not even with my own ones as bad as that sounds [and I do love them all dearly as you know!], but with him, I did. I've done everything with, I started working with him, I backed him, I started schooling him, I took him for his first hack....in fact, no-one else had ever ridden him originally other than a one-off ride. He's my baby.
Anyway. I've been pondering bringing him back into work to see how he does, so today, I bit the bullet and on a complete impulse decision, grabbed some tack, bought him in from the field [he's been turned out for the past year just over now with the cob babies]. And just tacked him and got on and took him for a hack round the village. [!] [We have no school, nor area to lunge etc where he is. So.]
He's exactly like how he was to start with....born broke. He feels like a horse much older than his experience to ride, always has done. When I broke him, he'd go in a natural outline, and just 'got' everything straight away. He is just incredibly smart and just the most loving temperament.
Sorry. I'm rambling. I'm on a high from riding him again. I never thought I'd be able to again.
My thoughts are, if his jinx doesn't start again [I am worried..I was never superstitious till him!], I want to bring him back into work slowly, and then after xmas time, get out starting some dressage on him. Any showing career is out the window for us, but, he was bred for dressage [Catherston bred], so I'm aiming in that direction now.
Fingers crossed for the future. x
Today
http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/545944_10151232390661753_2073126111_n.jpg
And as a 4 year old.
http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/59258_1510033945511_6626427_n.jpg
And as a 2 year old, when he used to graze the garden/orchard. He always got a nose stroke coming to say hello.
http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/4169_1139458401354_3416860_n.jpg
And injury assortments
http://sphotos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/5960_1187217275296_3602994_n.jpg
His very close encounter last year.
http://sphotos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/254352_10150277971291753_7001622_n.jpg
Well, that was just over 2 years ago when I last posted about it. It's been drama after drama and his work jinx lived on, even after we moved from the previous yard. He's had viruses, injury after injury, melanomas....you name it, he's done it or had it. Bless him. Sort of. I've never known a horse like it. We had such high high hopes for him, but, he's now coming up to 7 and about 17.2hh [!!!] and has managed to have a grand total of about 4 weeks riding in his entire life probably due to every time he started work, or restarted again, he'd write himself off [through things NOT work related which was even more infuriating]. Honestly, he grew up for the first 3 years of his life in a field that had sodding baler twine and barbed wire in places, and he never got as much as a scratch on him....soon as he was older, put in a stable and a pristine, square, post and rail paddock, then all hell broke loose on the injuries front from there on! Ironic huh. Makes you wonder.
And in spite of all of this, he has been the easiest horse on the planet. He's been with us since he was 6 months old and shall remain here till he retires [whenever that may be!].
Most the time, it wasn't 'serious' things which he'd manage to do, just things awkward enough to lay him off ridden work.
However, last year and this year, he had some very serious things happen to him. I in fact, asked for HHO prayers and vibes on both occasions for him...he had two very close calls at being put down. Words cannot describe that. This horse has been that 'one' to me the moment I saw him when I started at my yard 5 years ago now, doing flat out extended trot doing a lloyds tsb impression in the field and coming straight up to me as a still entire 2 year old. He just took my breath away and is the closest thing to a hispanic I've got.
He's stayed on my heart since and honestly, words cannot begin to describe what this horse means to me. I've never had love at first sight with a horse, not even with my own ones as bad as that sounds [and I do love them all dearly as you know!], but with him, I did. I've done everything with, I started working with him, I backed him, I started schooling him, I took him for his first hack....in fact, no-one else had ever ridden him originally other than a one-off ride. He's my baby.
Anyway. I've been pondering bringing him back into work to see how he does, so today, I bit the bullet and on a complete impulse decision, grabbed some tack, bought him in from the field [he's been turned out for the past year just over now with the cob babies]. And just tacked him and got on and took him for a hack round the village. [!] [We have no school, nor area to lunge etc where he is. So.]
He's exactly like how he was to start with....born broke. He feels like a horse much older than his experience to ride, always has done. When I broke him, he'd go in a natural outline, and just 'got' everything straight away. He is just incredibly smart and just the most loving temperament.
Sorry. I'm rambling. I'm on a high from riding him again. I never thought I'd be able to again.
My thoughts are, if his jinx doesn't start again [I am worried..I was never superstitious till him!], I want to bring him back into work slowly, and then after xmas time, get out starting some dressage on him. Any showing career is out the window for us, but, he was bred for dressage [Catherston bred], so I'm aiming in that direction now.
Fingers crossed for the future. x
Today
http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/545944_10151232390661753_2073126111_n.jpg
And as a 4 year old.
http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/59258_1510033945511_6626427_n.jpg
And as a 2 year old, when he used to graze the garden/orchard. He always got a nose stroke coming to say hello.
http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/4169_1139458401354_3416860_n.jpg
And injury assortments
http://sphotos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/5960_1187217275296_3602994_n.jpg
His very close encounter last year.
http://sphotos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/254352_10150277971291753_7001622_n.jpg
Last edited:
Took me a while to find it as was on my old account!
