Lolo
Well-Known Member
and they're the best 4 years of my life.
I was on the verge of giving up when I got Cheeky. My confidence was rock bottom, and I'd been so scared by my previous pony I was confident I would never jump again. We were looking for a nice, steady cob who would plod along and maybe do some dressage. In despair after a month of looking mum phoned about a horse in the free ads. It simply read 15.3 bay TB. 21years. Permanent loan". We went and looked, and I fell in love.
My first sighting of him was him ith his nose in the treacle can- he's got a serious sweet tooth, and the can of treacle left outside his stable had een too much. When his owner saw and scolded him, he lifted his upper lip and smiled. When I rode him, we went for a canter and he seemed to know he had to be good. He pulled up easily, and I was smitten. He came home the next day.
I started doing some dressage on him, and although I still held the pommel to canter, I began to feel more and more confident. We hunted, and I popped a 1' log. I decided to try jumping at home, and although I'd just point him at the fence and hold him back so he could hardly trot he'd always jump. He knew I got left behind so he'd pause on takeoff and catch me on landing. We decided to brave the mini hunter trial in the spring. Two clear rounds later, and Cheeky had proved himself to be the perfect horse.
That summer things took off, and we did lots of SJ classes, winning and never coming out of the top 3. At the end of the year, we won Most Improved Junior, and were awarded a special little trophy to keep by our chairman. I'd also taken (and failed!) my C+, but we'd had to jump a course of 95cm jumps, and we had! However, the dressage was so bad it was irredeemable!
Over the next years we had an amazing time. I am now a confident rider as long as I'm riding him, and he's worth his weight in gold. He doesn't owe us a penny, and he has provided me with many many smiles and good times. We've had some serious downs where he's been very lame, and now he's getting on (nearly 26) we don't do anything on hard ground. We don't hunt anymore (he's too naughty and strong) and I can't canter in company out hacking- trot's exciting enough! He'll reduce even the sanest horse to a nervous breakdown, and chat up any mare he can find.
I can't believe its been 4 years, and I just wanted to say how amazing he is and how much I adore him. Cheeky is priceless, and truly the best horse I could have ever wished to own.
My first hunter trial on him
Doing the 3' at Blackwater ODE
Recent SJ- the 85cm j/o
Derby SJ- doing a corner. His idea of heaven- SJ as quickly as you could, and he was awesome!
I was on the verge of giving up when I got Cheeky. My confidence was rock bottom, and I'd been so scared by my previous pony I was confident I would never jump again. We were looking for a nice, steady cob who would plod along and maybe do some dressage. In despair after a month of looking mum phoned about a horse in the free ads. It simply read 15.3 bay TB. 21years. Permanent loan". We went and looked, and I fell in love.
My first sighting of him was him ith his nose in the treacle can- he's got a serious sweet tooth, and the can of treacle left outside his stable had een too much. When his owner saw and scolded him, he lifted his upper lip and smiled. When I rode him, we went for a canter and he seemed to know he had to be good. He pulled up easily, and I was smitten. He came home the next day.
I started doing some dressage on him, and although I still held the pommel to canter, I began to feel more and more confident. We hunted, and I popped a 1' log. I decided to try jumping at home, and although I'd just point him at the fence and hold him back so he could hardly trot he'd always jump. He knew I got left behind so he'd pause on takeoff and catch me on landing. We decided to brave the mini hunter trial in the spring. Two clear rounds later, and Cheeky had proved himself to be the perfect horse.
That summer things took off, and we did lots of SJ classes, winning and never coming out of the top 3. At the end of the year, we won Most Improved Junior, and were awarded a special little trophy to keep by our chairman. I'd also taken (and failed!) my C+, but we'd had to jump a course of 95cm jumps, and we had! However, the dressage was so bad it was irredeemable!
Over the next years we had an amazing time. I am now a confident rider as long as I'm riding him, and he's worth his weight in gold. He doesn't owe us a penny, and he has provided me with many many smiles and good times. We've had some serious downs where he's been very lame, and now he's getting on (nearly 26) we don't do anything on hard ground. We don't hunt anymore (he's too naughty and strong) and I can't canter in company out hacking- trot's exciting enough! He'll reduce even the sanest horse to a nervous breakdown, and chat up any mare he can find.
I can't believe its been 4 years, and I just wanted to say how amazing he is and how much I adore him. Cheeky is priceless, and truly the best horse I could have ever wished to own.
My first hunter trial on him
Doing the 3' at Blackwater ODE
Recent SJ- the 85cm j/o
Derby SJ- doing a corner. His idea of heaven- SJ as quickly as you could, and he was awesome!
