unbalanced
Well-Known Member
Two weeks ago today I had my beautiful mare put to sleep. She was twenty four and suffering from cushings and arthritis. The vet suggested retiring her when she got very lame very quickly, but I realised that much as I would have loved to put her in a beautiful field, she was still cushings and still so stiff on two bute a day so had to say goodbye before she suffered.
I got Marni when I was fourteen from a stud which was selling up. She was nine and just backed. I had only ridden school ponies and thought I knew everything. When I first got her home I didn't have a saddle, got on bareback and got bucked off before fifteen seconds were up.
I spent most of our first winter getting bucked off and learning my way around A&E. By the second year I could jump well over 4' (and build the craziest courses), bomb around like a madwoman, hack in the heaviest London traffic, and she'd taken me to my first shows and won our first rosettes.
We moved yards and when I was supposed to be doing my A-levels all I cared about was dressage. One of my proudest moments was winning freestyle to music on 75%. We went out competing dressage and cross country - my parents have a picture up of us doing a trakhener with both of our eyes closed.
When I went travelling and to uni she went on loan to my friend's riding school in Cornwall. She taught lots of people to ride and being quite well educated herself helped many others to advance, as well as hacking over the glorious country there.
When I returned she came home and got me through depression, my finals, my MA and teacher training. She moved away from home with me and stood by my side as I escaped a horrible relationship.
In theses recent years despite her diagnosis of arthritis she's taken me to a number of sponsored rides and jumped the plane at RAF Halton. She even won at dressage and working hunters until two years ago and was still jumping clear rounds and having lessons last Christmas.
Last summer we went on holiday together to the South Downs. It was incredible anyway, but gutting when she got a girth gall on the final day. I rode bareback, galloping bareback over endless stubble fields with my best friends.
Now she's gone and I can't believe it. Please raise a glass to her tonight though. I will need some advice in a moment but I would like to end this post with the thought that this was my horse of a lifetime, my best friend and I owe her everything.
To Marni.
I got Marni when I was fourteen from a stud which was selling up. She was nine and just backed. I had only ridden school ponies and thought I knew everything. When I first got her home I didn't have a saddle, got on bareback and got bucked off before fifteen seconds were up.
I spent most of our first winter getting bucked off and learning my way around A&E. By the second year I could jump well over 4' (and build the craziest courses), bomb around like a madwoman, hack in the heaviest London traffic, and she'd taken me to my first shows and won our first rosettes.
We moved yards and when I was supposed to be doing my A-levels all I cared about was dressage. One of my proudest moments was winning freestyle to music on 75%. We went out competing dressage and cross country - my parents have a picture up of us doing a trakhener with both of our eyes closed.
When I went travelling and to uni she went on loan to my friend's riding school in Cornwall. She taught lots of people to ride and being quite well educated herself helped many others to advance, as well as hacking over the glorious country there.
When I returned she came home and got me through depression, my finals, my MA and teacher training. She moved away from home with me and stood by my side as I escaped a horrible relationship.
In theses recent years despite her diagnosis of arthritis she's taken me to a number of sponsored rides and jumped the plane at RAF Halton. She even won at dressage and working hunters until two years ago and was still jumping clear rounds and having lessons last Christmas.
Last summer we went on holiday together to the South Downs. It was incredible anyway, but gutting when she got a girth gall on the final day. I rode bareback, galloping bareback over endless stubble fields with my best friends.
Now she's gone and I can't believe it. Please raise a glass to her tonight though. I will need some advice in a moment but I would like to end this post with the thought that this was my horse of a lifetime, my best friend and I owe her everything.
To Marni.