Horse-mad childhood memories :)

Fab thread! Another non-horse owning child here. I made my own using an old free-standing electric heater with a cushion tied on for a saddle, string stirrups and reins tied onto my dressing table drawer handles. I had a whole stable of horses, drawn out on a paper plan, and would work out rides, schooling sessions, etc, just like the riding school did. I spent hours playing this.

I also remember the Jill books and also read all the Pullein-Thompson books as well. I asked for a pony every birthday and Christmas and was always bitterly disappointed when one never turned up in the back garden. I spent hours at the stables at the weekend and in the holidays helping out in the hope I would get a chance to ride the ponies bareback to the field or a free lesson.

My friend and I "adopted" the ponies that lived in the field behind her house - it was a holiday field used by the largest riding school in the town near us - and spent summer evenings playing with them using home-made rope halters. And we would ALWAYS hang around anyriders and horses that came down our road on their way to the beach desperately hoping that one of them would let us sit on a horse.

Lovely memories ...
 
I too was a horse crazy ponyless child, Horse and Pony was my bible, my bedroom was plastered in posters from it, OP I remember that Arab poster! My auntie had a skewbald cob called Paddy and my cousin and I got our picture with Paddy printed on H+P Young Riders Club page!

Had weekly riding lessons from the age of 7 and would spend all day Saturday and some days in the holidays as a "helper"!

Would build a course of fences made of mops and brushes in my nana and granddads back garden and gallop round at "the Olympics", granddad was the "commentator".

In my early years school, I'd try to fit horses into any story, my teachers despaired!

Had Magpie models ( saved up every birthday and Christmas to buy them), my granddad kindly made me 2 blocks of wooden stables and a tack and feedroom. Made course mix out of museli!

Awwww happy days!
 
exmoorponyprincess1 said:
We had a load of highlands at the riding school I helped at which were used for trekking - as kids we were allowed to ride one and lead 2 to and from their field which was a good 15min walk along a road from the yard! And when I say ride, always bare back! H&S probably wouldn't let kids do this nowadays either....
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We did that too! And we were all transported up to the field where the horses were in the back of a moggie van - totally illegal! Record was 2 adults, 14 children, 2 dogs and several saddles!
 
Me and my sister were from a non-horsey family and my mum swears she has no idea where the obsession came from!
We also used to play showjumping with garden canes and buckets. We both had our imaginary 'own horse' which we always rode, can't remember now what mine was called.
I also loved my rocking horse and used to read pony books non stop. Plus the posters everywhere
We also had an ARMY of model horses of all different sizes, every one had a name and when I found some of them the other day I was chuffed I could still remember what most of them were called xD My favourites were a bay called Star and a grey Andalucian called El Dorado. Mum says she got annoyed as whenever she asked us what we wanted for xmas/ birthdays we'd both say 'stables'. We had so many ponies we didn't have enough stables for them all :')
We were pretty creative with our models. One Christmas mum gave us both a huge box of beads for making bracelets, an attempt to divert us from ponies. Complete failure, the different coloured beads became different feeds and I loved mixing up special feeds for each horse. A few days ago I went up in the loft and found an old shoe box full of tiny rugs me and my sister had hand sewed for the horses, complete with surcingles. They also all had handmade saddlecloths, travel boots and rope headcollars in colour coordinated sets.
My Dad got a new girlfriend when I was about 8 and she had horses! Possibly the best thing ever. From then on we practiced our imaginary horses over real showjumps on the riding club field. I remember being about 10 and Dads girlfriend telling me I could walk her horse back to the lorry from the cross country course at tweseldown, the grin on my face must have been huge. Looking back a 10 year old with no clue and a 17.3 scatty eventer was not the best combo.
We got our first pony aged about 11 and 13, which was the best thing ever. We've both had many more since then but I kinda miss the days of stitching tiny travel boots and mixing bead feeds...
 
Oh yeah, and in a bid to try and make me and my sister take some interest in school work, mum set us a challenge to try and get ponies into every single piece of homework. It worked, we couldn't wait to get started on our English essays and write about ponies! :)
 
SarahF said:
Haha - I did this too, I totally forgot about my robinsons catalogue :D
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I won a trolley dash round Robinsons, I won one of the first ever synthetic saddles but it didnt fit my aunties cob, so Robinsons let us have a trolley dash to the price of the saddle! I was in my element, got a rainbow headcollar and lead rope for my fave riding school pony and she'd only wear it for best when I saw her on Saturday!
 
Cowpony said:
Anybody old enough to remember the WH Smith "Win a pony" competition? They used to run it every year - the winner got a pony and funds to keep it for a year. I used to do it religiously and was always bitterly disappointed that I didn't win. It was only when I was well into adulthood that I wondered whether my non-horsey mother had actually ever posted my entries......
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Yes I do and I used to do the competition each year - never won though
 
I pretended my rabbit was a pony! Mixed up different feeds with a spade as a scoop, made him jump over garden canes and lunged him off a little harness he had! We'd even go out on "hacks" to the neighbours garden (don't worry, I didn't actually ride him, just sort of long lined..) He sometimes transformed into a dog and would be told to sit and stay, poor thing must have been very confused!

Every playtime I would round up my herd (classmates), tie skipping ropes to their waists and make them gallop and jump everywhere. I had a best friend who was also horsey and we would pretend our bikes were horses and do riding school lessons, had to jump on and off the curb and then ride to her house which was a "Mcdonalds".

My favourite memories with actual horses were at my friends neighbours yard. We would sit on the horses bareback in the stables and pretend we were riding the grand national. I've a photo somewhere of 4 of us sat on a poor cob all holding onto each other with the one at the front with only a leadrope. I was also allowed to sit in the back of a trap when the owner drove the horse to the pub, that was amazing :D

I also loved the Sheltie books, the chatterhappy ponies and if wishes were horses series and had a subscription to the Pony magazine. Begged for a pony and was always disappointed when there wasn't one waiting in the front room at Christmas and birthdays.
 
exmoorponyprincess1 said:
I was telling my husband about this thread and he said that I needed to admit to everyone that I still lean into a jumping position for every jump when watching any show jumping/cross country on the tv!! I'm sure I am not the only one???!!!! :D
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I still jump hedges and things from the car windows. I worry more about the striding for combinations as a 26yr old than I used to. Does anyone else no where the are horses on routes people do a lot?
 
Ooh Breyer models, I had a few of those (had to save hard for them!) and on every car journey I'd pretend a horse was galloping alongside and flying over hedges - yes I still do this too! And I'm guilty of leaning forwards over speed bumps lol. And scouring the FreeAds/Yeller papers for potential horses, I'd ring up about them and then plead with my mum "oh, but he/she sounds PERFECT....it's only £500 and 350 miles away...poor Mum!
 
caileag said:
Oh and what about jumping hedges alongside the train ? I still do this !
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Oh yes I still do with pleasure!

I had the pleasure of my 8yr old sister coming to stay the night over Christmas with my dad. She had never met my horses before so I met them at the top of the lane on my boy. Her grin was the best thing I'd ever seen. I told my dad to bring her riding hat without her knowing so when I told her he was tacked up and waiting for her she nearly died with excitement! Then I unclipped the lead rope and sent them off in front it was wonderful. He's shire x pushing 17hh and she's tiny so my dad was er nervous... they had fun trotting along but got quite far ahead with her ignoring my telling her to walk him (in her element) so I had to shout him to wait I couldn't quite believe it when he stopped within a couple of strides. So proud of him for taking care of her.
She helped me with everything and led him out to the field in driving rain... it was the best day seeing that grin glued to my sweet sisters face especially knowing what it means to get even a glimpse of a horse when your a horse mad horseless little girl.

I do think I may have ruined my dad's and her mum's lives though....

It's not a childhood memory as such but I hope it will be one of hers for a long time to come. I don't get to see her much at all it breaks my heart :(
 
wish upon a star said:
I pretended my rabbit was a pony! Mixed up different feeds with a spade as a scoop, made him jump over garden canes and lunged him off a little harness he had! We'd even go out on "hacks" to the neighbours garden (don't worry, I didn't actually ride him, just sort of long lined..) He sometimes transformed into a dog and would be told to sit and stay, poor thing must have been very confused!

Every playtime I would round up my herd (classmates), tie skipping ropes to their waists and make them gallop and jump everywhere. I had a best friend who was also horsey and we would pretend our bikes were horses and do riding school lessons, had to jump on and off the curb and then ride to her house which was a "Mcdonalds".

My favourite memories with actual horses were at my friends neighbours yard. We would sit on the horses bareback in the stables and pretend we were riding the grand national. I've a photo somewhere of 4 of us sat on a poor cob all holding onto each other with the one at the front with only a leadrope. I was also allowed to sit in the back of a trap when the owner drove the horse to the pub, that was amazing :D

I also loved the Sheltie books, the chatterhappy ponies and if wishes were horses series and had a subscription to the Pony magazine. Begged for a pony and was always disappointed when there wasn't one waiting in the front room at Christmas and birthdays.
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I made my rabbits "banks" in their shavings when I mucked them out and drew them a feed chart!

Am anotherone who wrote out riding school lists and schedules for my model horses!

Think some kids have a very boring childhood that just sit on electronic games the whole time
 
me&Harvey said:
I made my rabbits "banks" in their shavings when I mucked them out and drew them a feed chart!

Am anotherone who wrote out riding school lists and schedules for my model horses!

Think some kids have a very boring childhood that just sit on electronic games the whole time
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I also made banks! I'd forgotten about that and agree about the boring childhoods of some. I disliked staying at some friends houses as they just played computer games and thought they were too old to pretend :/
 
The mention of jumping fences during car and train journeys reminded me of a poem I found in an old book, 'The Moss Bros Anthology of Riding' published in 1954. It's by Will H Ogilvie, and any typos are mine...

A Gallop from the Train, by Will H. Ogilvie

Though I can’t afford a hunter – more’s the pity,
I love a rousing gallop like the rest! –
Every morning as I travel to the city
I have five and forty minutes of the best.

As we leave our country station there’s a holloa
(If it’s but the engine whistle, never mind!)
By the window I am sitting, and I follow
Where the horn of Fancy tells me of a find.

Through the rattle of our going comes the chorus,
‘Tis a south wind and a proper scenting day,
There’s a topping piece of country spread before us,
And I’ll jump it all in fancy on the grey.

How he dances as I edge him through the others;
He is fond of this finessing for a start,
Just a little bit more eager than his brothers
By a beat, or maybe two beats, of his heart!

There’s a gap we know of, leading from the stubble,
And we have it while the other people pass.
A crash behind us! Someone tasting trouble!
We are over, in the lead, and on the grass.

How he lays him down to revel in his freedom!
How he snatches at his snaffle as he goes!
The Field will have to gallop when we lead ‘em!
Hark, behind us! There’s another on his nose!

Here’s an oak-rail with a trappy ditch behind it,
And I feel the little beggar shortening stride.
It’s a big one, but I know he wouldn’t mind it
Were it twice as big and half again as wide.

So I catch him by the head a little shorter,
And his answer comes a-thrilling from the bit;
Then I loose him, and he flies it. What a snorter!
And he never made a shadow of a hit!

So we take those rasping fences – well, perhaps a wee bit faster
Than we’d take ‘em if we were not on a train!
And there’s not a soul before us but the huntsman and the Master
And a toiling field is squandered once again!

By a grey suburban station, to the sullen air-brake’s grinding,
We kill our dog-fox handsomely at last.
It was five and forty minutes to the finish from the finding –
And a fifty miles an hour ‘twas pretty fast!
 
Same as others really! I'm 23 and last summer I made 'jumps' in my garden and made my border collie jump them lol!

When I was younger I used to do the bike thing or when I was walking, walked fast pretending I was a race horse in a race and jump the curbs! If there was a puddle that was the water jump, or higher curb that was the open ditch!

Also in a car I used to pretend there was a horse travelling alongside jumping all the hedges etc as we went along.

Also I had horse and pony magazines with rosettes strewn all over the place and could only dream of having my own pony!
 
I am another one, who did not get their first pony till I was 43 years young. He is 15.3hh and 35 years old I am an OAP we are growing old together.

I too made bridles for my class mates at primary school.

My clame to fame is that I have actually patted Foxhunter.
 
Like many others...covering my bedroom walls with Every poster of Milton, Freddie and the Lloyd's bank horse I could find.

Looking through the Robinsons catalogue and writing down all the things I would need from grooming kit, rugs and even saddle for a horse I never owned!!

I used to own and run a riding school with my friends. All the horses details were kept in my dad's old office business card tidy, we had a chalk board with who was being used in a lesson and we used "Guess Who" picture cards as clients!!

Biking 5 miles with my horsey friend on a Sunday just to go and see the horses we rode on our Saturday lesson and if we were lucky they would give us a free lesson!!

The smell of Creosote when painting the fields fence posts in the summer

I would pretend I was an international show jumper on a small patch of grass at the side of the house and my friend was a talent scout and would watch me ride and want to buy my horse that was never for sale!!!

I remember being brave as I hated jumping and was never very good at it and jumping a 4ft x-country course on my favourite riding school horse on the last ride there before I left to go off to college...I haven't jumped since!

But my fondest memory was going to Norfolk on a riding holiday. First time away from home and given a horse to look after for a week. Sixpence (big fat grey 14.2hh cob!!) was brushed within an inch of her life and I still have the rosettes I won at the end of the week show...I cried my eyes out driving away from there!!!

There are plenty more but I've already admitted too much already!!!
 
Making jumping courses round the garden, refusing and hitting myself! Jumped flower beds (water jumps), flower pots (hickstead derby!) across the patio (the 'road' fence at hickstead) and the BIG flower bed - Beechers Brook! Not quite sure why Beechers would be at hickstead, but hey ho!!
Rising trot on my bike, when my mum taught a few of the village kids on my pony. I didn't mind sharing, under the impression the kids would all get their own ponies and we'd ride together. Sadly, they never did.
Best friend had a 'wagon-type' cart (normal play toy) and we'd be shires.
Lots of galloping about at school break times.

I also remember my brother, asking me what I was doing with my grooming kit. I replied 'getting ready for camp' - a whole 50 weeks early!!!!
 
Oh how much this has brought back!!

I too was a pony-less child longing that one day I would wake up to a pony grazing in the garden!

Car journeys were cross country courses.

Long lining my brother was an every day occurrence.

Jill pony books were my bible.

My grandma's garden wall was a 16hh dapple grey.

Grandma's china horse (used to be attached to a barrel waggon till I got hold of it) became Sindy's every day horse, and her own horse became her show pony.

My rocking horse was put in front of the telly for Champion the Wonder Horse on a Saturday morning for me to leap on and off Ricky stylie (ok so age is showing now, it was re-runs though not the 50's original!)

Riding my friends pig was not the same!

Thelwell was everywhere in my bedroom.

I wore my riding hat and boots everywhere!

I begged, borrowed and stole to ride (ok never stole) but any time I heard the clip clop of hooves I was there.

I have recently bought all the Jill books off ebay much to the amusement of my OH just for the memories. Ahhhhhhh
 
Black stallion books....... Dreaming of being cast away with a stunning horse! Jill pony books... I read all these books about 50 times!!
I also showed my serious intentions of being a horse owner by "working" at the riding school all day saturday after my lesson. My Mum (had a pony growing up) convinced dad that it was child cruelty to deny me any longer and I got my first pony "Mischief" (yes the clue is in the name!) I was 10. After repeatedly bucking me off we decided it was time to part company permanently and a local and lovely horsedealer found me a totally bombproof bay irish mare, kelly, she was a hairy little beast but took care of me for 6 years. She took me to pony club camp for the first time, she did as well as a chunky cob could manage in the pony club games and launched herself over 3' jumps with gusto. We did fancy dress alot and beat some very fancy ponies in working hunter classes :p and always went clear (altho not in the fast time!) and never stopped! What a pony! Never sick, never lame and a total nanny for me..... I wish we had never sold her :( They don't make them like that anymore!
God I miss those days!
NAN
PS I also show jumped my dog in the back garden.... Poor old Pru!
 
Nutsaboutnags said:
Black stallion books....... Dreaming of being cast away with a stunning horse! Jill pony books... I read all these books about 50 times!!!
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Did you have the one dedicated to all the boys and girls who love ponies but never had one? I think it was the first of his series about a chestnut stallion.

Anyone read The Ponies Plot? I gave it to my cousin when I was about 15, then stole it back a decade later.
 
SarahF said:
I was thinking the same thing. fresh air and make believe was more than enough to keep me entertained as a child. I hope some do get the same these days - I'm sure there is another generation of pony-mad yet pony-less young girls mucking out for free and sniffing the tack at every riding stables - haha!!
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Sadly, the dreaded Elf 'n safety has stopped all that children can't do 'jobs for rides' any more and are usually onlyalowed n the premises acccompanied by an adult - very sad.
 
Rollin said:
I am another one, who did not get their first pony till I was 43 years young. He is 15.3hh and 35 years old I am an OAP we are growing old together.

I too made bridles for my class mates at primary school.

My clame to fame is that I have actually patted Foxhunter.
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I did al the things mentioned here - my claim to fame? - my friend's aunt was a groom for David Broome and we went or a visit and I got to si on Sunsalve I was about 7.
 
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