Gingernags
Well-Known Member
I just knew something like this would happen.
Some of you may remember that last year, one of the kids at our old yard was getting picked on a bit. She's just gone from a 14hh pony to a 16hh young and green horse and was just taking it easy getting him going well, but the nasties at the livery yard said she was losing her bottle. Utter bollox really.
Anyway, she'd ridden Asti before so I offered her the chance to compete Asti alongside him, as a kind of bridge between a smaller pony, a little horse at 15hh (Asti) and her new one. And she (and her parents) jumped at the chance.
So we did some small shows and she got quite a few wins and places, then the county one, and she won an open show hunter which qualified them for the BSPS championships if we joined within 7 days. They were as chuffed about it as us and so we joined. When I say we, I paid for the fees for me as owner, her as rider and my sister paid for Asti cos I was a bit skint!
Since then, I've paid out to change my tack to havana - new show bridle, show saddle, numnahs, girths, loads of "showing essentials", even getting her measured which I've never bothered with, doesn't affect what I do. We've gone to bigger and more expensive shows than we've ever done and again I've paid for everything - all the entries, I've taken them so the diesel etc and it all adds up and up.
The rider, R, said it wouldn't be a problem as she'd decided not to show her horse this year, she'd concentrate on Asti. So I double checked before I paid this years membership that yes, she really, really wanted to do this championships. I checked again before the championship entries closed (£250 quids worth of fees). Everything was on course.
Then a couple of weeks ago her horse threw a shoe and she couldn't get it back on before a Pony Club ODE. No problem - I let her take Asti. I've asked a few times - and they said, no it wouldn't affect the championships. Several shows we were going to do to get practice in, we've now missed as she was doing the PC stuff. We've even paid for SJ lessons - admittedly only 2 so far but a friend paid for the 1st as she recommended the instructor, and I paid for the second.
And now we get to the biggie. BSPS champs, we are travelling down on 22 August. She has a class a day on Wed 23, Thur 24, Fri 25 and Sat 26 then we come home. Well that was the plan. But over the weekend her PC team qualified for the PC Dressage and PC ODE championships. And guess what? Its the same weekend. We have been "told" by her dad that she can do Wed and Thurs but on Friday she's going to Cheshire to do the dressage on Saturday and the ODE on Sunday.
I am absolutely gutted. He decided to tell my sister this last night BY TEXT and when she said hang on a minute, this is all arranged, he said its wasn't that R didn't want to do it but this was something on her own horse that she's worked for.
I feel like they have slapped me in the face. I know this is her own horse but she's 16. She has years to do the PC stuff still. This is a one off and they promised me time and time again that she really wanted to do this and yes they were definately going to do it.
The thing that pees me off the most, other than being horribly let down - is what this has cost all of us involved. Not just in cold hard cash (It has cost me at a rough guess in excess of £1200 since September) but its caused arguments between me and sister, friend and OH. We have been getting slagged off something rotten which I know shouldn't matter but its still bl**dy hurtful to be on the end of. I've been really, really hard up every month because of the stuff I've been paying for, literally doing without lunch some days because I haven't had the cash. Can't afford a holiday. Can't afford to go out, OH has been paying for my drinks a fair bit just so he can go out and have some fun. Its been really hard. Plus there is the time we've spent. The friend has been helping for nothing, giving R tips, running through shows, giving her flatwork sessions, helping school Asti, helping bath and plait (especially sister) and missing other things I'd normally do for these bigger shows.
Totally gutted. I know we'll still get to do 2 or even 3 days but the shine has been taken off it and I'm now wondering why on earth I should bother. I'm soooooo tempted to send her Dad a bill for the entry fees and membership fees. But how on earth am I supposed to just get on with it and go as if nothing had happened?
So let down. Won't be bothering letting anyone "borrow" Asti again. I can't believe they've done that to us after all the hard work.
Some of you may remember that last year, one of the kids at our old yard was getting picked on a bit. She's just gone from a 14hh pony to a 16hh young and green horse and was just taking it easy getting him going well, but the nasties at the livery yard said she was losing her bottle. Utter bollox really.
Anyway, she'd ridden Asti before so I offered her the chance to compete Asti alongside him, as a kind of bridge between a smaller pony, a little horse at 15hh (Asti) and her new one. And she (and her parents) jumped at the chance.
So we did some small shows and she got quite a few wins and places, then the county one, and she won an open show hunter which qualified them for the BSPS championships if we joined within 7 days. They were as chuffed about it as us and so we joined. When I say we, I paid for the fees for me as owner, her as rider and my sister paid for Asti cos I was a bit skint!
Since then, I've paid out to change my tack to havana - new show bridle, show saddle, numnahs, girths, loads of "showing essentials", even getting her measured which I've never bothered with, doesn't affect what I do. We've gone to bigger and more expensive shows than we've ever done and again I've paid for everything - all the entries, I've taken them so the diesel etc and it all adds up and up.
The rider, R, said it wouldn't be a problem as she'd decided not to show her horse this year, she'd concentrate on Asti. So I double checked before I paid this years membership that yes, she really, really wanted to do this championships. I checked again before the championship entries closed (£250 quids worth of fees). Everything was on course.
Then a couple of weeks ago her horse threw a shoe and she couldn't get it back on before a Pony Club ODE. No problem - I let her take Asti. I've asked a few times - and they said, no it wouldn't affect the championships. Several shows we were going to do to get practice in, we've now missed as she was doing the PC stuff. We've even paid for SJ lessons - admittedly only 2 so far but a friend paid for the 1st as she recommended the instructor, and I paid for the second.
And now we get to the biggie. BSPS champs, we are travelling down on 22 August. She has a class a day on Wed 23, Thur 24, Fri 25 and Sat 26 then we come home. Well that was the plan. But over the weekend her PC team qualified for the PC Dressage and PC ODE championships. And guess what? Its the same weekend. We have been "told" by her dad that she can do Wed and Thurs but on Friday she's going to Cheshire to do the dressage on Saturday and the ODE on Sunday.
I am absolutely gutted. He decided to tell my sister this last night BY TEXT and when she said hang on a minute, this is all arranged, he said its wasn't that R didn't want to do it but this was something on her own horse that she's worked for.
I feel like they have slapped me in the face. I know this is her own horse but she's 16. She has years to do the PC stuff still. This is a one off and they promised me time and time again that she really wanted to do this and yes they were definately going to do it.
The thing that pees me off the most, other than being horribly let down - is what this has cost all of us involved. Not just in cold hard cash (It has cost me at a rough guess in excess of £1200 since September) but its caused arguments between me and sister, friend and OH. We have been getting slagged off something rotten which I know shouldn't matter but its still bl**dy hurtful to be on the end of. I've been really, really hard up every month because of the stuff I've been paying for, literally doing without lunch some days because I haven't had the cash. Can't afford a holiday. Can't afford to go out, OH has been paying for my drinks a fair bit just so he can go out and have some fun. Its been really hard. Plus there is the time we've spent. The friend has been helping for nothing, giving R tips, running through shows, giving her flatwork sessions, helping school Asti, helping bath and plait (especially sister) and missing other things I'd normally do for these bigger shows.
Totally gutted. I know we'll still get to do 2 or even 3 days but the shine has been taken off it and I'm now wondering why on earth I should bother. I'm soooooo tempted to send her Dad a bill for the entry fees and membership fees. But how on earth am I supposed to just get on with it and go as if nothing had happened?
So let down. Won't be bothering letting anyone "borrow" Asti again. I can't believe they've done that to us after all the hard work.
