Fairytale Endings

[MizElz]

Ok...I'm sat at work thinking of something to do, so i might as well start a new thread!

How about equine 'fairytale endings'? I've always thought I have been so fortunate in ending up with Ellie, but there were many things that, if they had not happened, would have meant i would never have known her. I was 11 years old when i got (or rather, rescued) Mickey, who was 15hh, terrified of humans and, as all the Pony Club mums said, far too manic for a child. He was everything to me; i loved him like i had never loved any of my ponies, and to have him learn to trust me when all he had known in the past were beatings was an amazing process. I only had him 7 months before he went lame; whilst on box rest, he suffered a heart attack in the stable. After losing him, I said i never wanted another horse, and for months i stuck to my guns. Then jamie, a very close family friend, offered me the chance to go and groom for him when he went show jumping, and although i had never really had an interest in the sport itself before, pretty soon i was hooked. And he soon got me looking through the Horse & Hound for sale section! he, my mum and i looked at 23 horses during that summer, but none of them were quite right. I had never been much of a rider throughout my Pony Club days; i always fell off, always - before mickey -had push button ponies. Mickey had given me a lot of confidence, not because he was by any means an easy ride, but more because we had a real partnership. but again, i decided enough was enough, and prepared to jack it all in....then we got a phone call from jamie, saying that he had found my perfect horse. i didnt believe him until we walked into the stable, and there she was. the rest speaks for itself; we have had 7 wonderful years together, and ellie has a home for life. She has given me opportunities i never thought possible, and has helped me become a rider, not a passenger. And she is my best friend!

 

[Gorgeous George]

Ok I'm bored at work too! I started riding when I was 7 and spent every hour of my free time helping out at the stables until I went to Uni at 18. When I was a child I used to work out exactly how I could afford to keep a pony through odd jobs and pocket money and then I would leave letters on my Dad's bedside table, detailing how this would all work (I think I often forgot about things like shoes and insurance!) and asking for him to give me an answer in the morning - it was always no as my parents really had no money. My Dad still has a tin with about 40 of the above mentioned letters in!

Until recently I thought my dream would never come true, then a close Aunt sadly died and left me a generous amount of money, and my kind OH said 'yes, go for it'. So with great excitement I started looking and after about 5 viewers became quite despondent, then after the 6th I fell off and broke my nose and finger and nearly gave up completely thinking I was a complete numpty of a rider. But I kept looking for the under 16hh native cross that I imagined having - no joy until 1 day I forgot to limit the horse search to 16hh max in horsemart and up popped George, at 16.3 I thought he was too big but as he was 5miles from me and looked 'nice' I thought I would have a look. 4 weeks after that first look my dream finally came true and the rest is history:

 

[mrgoop]

The end of your story gave me goose bumps. That is so lovely.

I feel Max is my fairytale ending, he has given me back all the confidence that i had lost before i found him. In fact last night when we went out, he had a paddy because Ladylisa and her mare cantered in front. That is his place not anyone elses. He went to tank with me, and when i asked for collection, he rocked on the spot like a rocking horse, and then kept going backwards and back on his hocks. After losing my bottle with the 2 rearers, i would have jumped off a couple of months ago. But i trust him fully now and didn't feel worried.
I was really quite proud of myself for sitting quietly and riding him out of it. And proud of my boy for restoring my faith in horses.
He is my best mate

 

[SirenaXVI]

18yrs ago Minty my old Anglo broke her leg in the field, I thought my world had ended. Thankfully my vet was more optimistic and she was packed off to Beaufort Cottage Hospital in Newmarket. The wonderful Tim Greet performed a miracle and screwed her leg back together, they had never performed this operation on a 10yo so for the next 9mths it was touch and go. During that time she was on box rest with me walking her out in hand for the last 3 months - she was an angel and took everything in her stride, there was one sticky moment during the last month when she became depressed and I very nearly had her put down as I felt I was just doing it for me. Happily my vet talked me out of it and boy was I glad he did! Then began the long, slow process of bringing her back into work, again she was an absolute angel, however six months down the line, she took off with me at a flat out gallop on the common - I was grinning from ear to ear - I knew then she would be OK. I then sent her to stud and the result was a beautiful partbred Andalusian filly who went on to become a National Champion, I continued to ride and show Minty and you can imagine how I felt when she still managed to win, I retired her from competition on a high point and she bred another foal, this time a colt who went on to do affiliated dressage.

So, you see, she started me off with Andalusians as I went on to buy first a purebred filly (Sirena) and now have four of them, one of whom is in foal

I owe all of this to my darling Mint (posh name Dornay Araminta), she did so much for me, I owe her so much.

Here she is with my 3yo - Minta is the grey on the left - this was taken last year, she is still with me and at nearly thiry, still manages to passage and snort her way round the field, she also gets away with blue murder now but does everything with a smile on her face and has the capacity to make me laugh out loud - I reckon she's earned the right - she owes me absolutely nothing