howengold
Well-Known Member
I have come to the decision that my 36 year old Arab x is ready to retire now. She has had a good innings, and we have done two of the three things I wanted to do with her before she retires, local showing and regional showing. We hope to still do a pleasure ride before the end of the show season but then she is going to live the life of riley with my other retired veteran.
Sovereign Pretty Lady came to me last spring, she had been retired by her last owner because she was too hot to handle and her novice owner had lost all of her confidence due to the old gals want to gallop. As soon as she started her retirement she began to go into herself and never seemed happy at just being in the field as a companion. Gradually she deteriorated and my friend knew she couldn't give her the home she needed so put her up for sale. Sov dropped weight through the winter and by spring looked terrible. My husband bought her for £50 and we feed her up and gradually brought her back in to light work including hacking and a little showing with my daughter.
This summer she has really struggled to hold her weight and although I managed to show her myself twice in July and she did well, I have noticed a change in her that says she is now ready to take it easy. I am on a mission to get her weight up for winter now and hoping that one last pleasure ride while she is still fit will be possible but it all depends on how she gets on this month.
She has been a wonderful friend the past one and a half years and gave me back my love of riding. I will be sad to not get anymore showing with her but my goal was only to do a little this season anyway and she proved that she was still as good as her younger counterparts by coming 3rd in a local ridden veteran class last month against much younger horses and ponies.
She will still get the odd short hack or walk round our crop fields, just to stop her getting stale and give her a change of scenary, so she won't be one of those 'waiting for god' kind of ponies.
I just wanted to mark her retirement in someway and thought here would be a nice place to let her say goodbye to her working life, as this was the place I came to when I was trying to get her out of her pelham, where I asked for advice on her feeding, where we traced her previous owners and where I shared alot of our photos. She will probably not even be remembered but I wanted anyone who does remember her to know how grateful we are for you help.
last weekend
Thanks for reading xx
Sovereign Pretty Lady came to me last spring, she had been retired by her last owner because she was too hot to handle and her novice owner had lost all of her confidence due to the old gals want to gallop. As soon as she started her retirement she began to go into herself and never seemed happy at just being in the field as a companion. Gradually she deteriorated and my friend knew she couldn't give her the home she needed so put her up for sale. Sov dropped weight through the winter and by spring looked terrible. My husband bought her for £50 and we feed her up and gradually brought her back in to light work including hacking and a little showing with my daughter.
This summer she has really struggled to hold her weight and although I managed to show her myself twice in July and she did well, I have noticed a change in her that says she is now ready to take it easy. I am on a mission to get her weight up for winter now and hoping that one last pleasure ride while she is still fit will be possible but it all depends on how she gets on this month.
She has been a wonderful friend the past one and a half years and gave me back my love of riding. I will be sad to not get anymore showing with her but my goal was only to do a little this season anyway and she proved that she was still as good as her younger counterparts by coming 3rd in a local ridden veteran class last month against much younger horses and ponies.
She will still get the odd short hack or walk round our crop fields, just to stop her getting stale and give her a change of scenary, so she won't be one of those 'waiting for god' kind of ponies.
I just wanted to mark her retirement in someway and thought here would be a nice place to let her say goodbye to her working life, as this was the place I came to when I was trying to get her out of her pelham, where I asked for advice on her feeding, where we traced her previous owners and where I shared alot of our photos. She will probably not even be remembered but I wanted anyone who does remember her to know how grateful we are for you help.
last weekend
Thanks for reading xx
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She has had a wonderful mummy. I think its so nice that she will get the odd hack here and there. Well Done at your last show 3rd is brilliant xx
