Chinchilla
...
About four years ago a cob appeared in a field near our house and never seemed to have anyone doing anything with her. Bit of a bag and could nip and be naughty but I asked around and found out a local chap and his friend owned her. Knew one quite well so offered to nip up and give her a brush and just spend time if he liked.
"Yeah that'd be grand she could do with someone spending time with her really. We paid someone a grand and had her broken to ride / drive and she was out on the cart most weekends in summer but it's tailed off so she could do with a fuss making. You can ride her in the field she has a bridle hung up in the stable"
Day or two after my daughter and I went up and decided to get Loo out of the field, lead her onto the yard and give her a good top to toe scrub and spa and were warned by the farmer to be careful because she could be very hard work and in a habit of kicking and biting. She was good as gold.
She was good as gold each time we went up and got playful and daft giddy and would chase around after a giant football and canter down to the gate when she heard the whistle that meant we were there and really showed a fun side to her. I asked her owner if he'd mind us taking her off the farm just for a short walk down the lane to see how she behaved outside. Got on well with her and really felt she would / could be a belting horse with just a bit of work but wasn't willing to get on her until she'd been outside the farm and on neutral territory if you will.
Flat out no. She can be hard work / has run off and needed several people to catch her / it's too risky. I could ride her round the field though she has a bridle hanging up in the stable...
She could have her odd moment and was still being a bag in the field and frightening members of public / bullying the life out of geldings in the field but underneath all that she was a good horse that needed more time and attention. If you didn't let her get away with being a witch and handled her with confidence she wasn't a bit of bother but most people were scared to death of her and she knew it.
Over the next year or so I offered to spend time with her, loan her, buy her straight out but her owners wouldn't entertain me. No idea why because they didn't touch her.
Put it to them it was a waste of the grand they'd spent but I'd help get her going for when spring arrived and they could take her out on the cart. Nope. Not interested. :blue:
Just kept paying rent every month and letting the farmer and other horse owners deal with the fallout.
One afternoon I find half the field fenced off with the geldings safely on one side and Loo on the other. Farmer had decided it was too risky and felt she might do one of the other horses or owners an injury.
From that point on she got worse and would nip and bite and be quite aggressive towards people just walking dogs along the path on the other side. I'd go up and she'd hurtle towards us and be playful and gentle and it really annoyed and upset me that she was wasted and isolated and totally neglected.
For safety the farmer moved her into another fu@king field so she couldn't be stroked or bite people. Owners never went near so farmer felt increasing need to keep her at arms length which is understandable but frustrated the hell out of me.
Didn't see her for a while until I went to pick up some hay tonight. Wandered around looking for the farmer and right at the back of the yard spotted DANGER! ELECTRIC FENCE
There stood this forlorn, fed up and filthy cob surrounded by electric fencing and although she recognised me, she stood perfectly still in the middle of all this fence and wouldn't move. Not even for mint treats or apple I went and got from the car.
Well she got worse and it was getting dangerous you see.. can't risk her doing an injury to herself or others but she's got used to it
FOUR YEARS they've kept that horse from having any sort of life or attention and affection and now she lives in a square of electricity in a sodden field right out of the way of everything and everyone.
I'm absolutely ripping.
This anywhere near a place called grove by any chance?
Sounds like an experience I had with a coloured cob called Cassie.