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Einstein would be proud of my Insanity...
AJ Ace is gorgeous, what a absolute find for a heavy horse lover like you!
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My 2019 winter loan "pony", Asterix, ended up not going back at all in 2020 but I decided I had invested enough in his training with no prospect of return so I imposed a fixed return date to the trekking centre as things reopened this summer. View attachment 77591
This meant the search for my next best friend started in earnest in about March 2021. I was looking at anything from 15hh upwards, chunkier type that would carry hubby or the kids and it had to be great to hack alone and in company; pretty much everything else was negotiable.
I was getting sent links by lots of well meaning friends to ridiculous things that were completely unsuitable or stupid money. Twice I came across fabulous horses on a Monday or Tuesday that were sold by the Thursday despite me being booked to go after work on Friday (they were both 3+hours away and having just started a new job I couldn't get over any quicker). I was seriously considering upping my budget to £7.5k so I could possibly find a 5yo cob of indistinct breeding but backed and ridden away and suitable as a family pet in a few years.
Then my trusty instructor said she knew of something I'd love. 15.3hh 5yo Irish mare - a lovely little busy type. I arranged to go that night - i didn't want to miss another one and this one had a second viewing lined up the day after. She was very sweet but I just couldn't relax, she didn't do anything wrong but my heartrate was through the roof the whole time. It felt like such a silly reason to reject a perfectly good horse on. I sent some videos to a buddy of mine and she instantly said "nope, not this one. Keep looking." This was 9.30pm at night and I had just resigned myself to more months of looking. Then I logged into facebook and top of my news feed was a for sale advert: 5yo, 17hh, green but ridden away, bay with 4 white stockings and a blaze. I got in touch, he was in budget and they were happy for me to come and visit on the next day. Oh, and he was a CLYDESDALE.
I drove 200 miles to go and see him and fell in love at first sight. I knew I was buying him before I even sat on him! I had him vetted and that was that. My dad and i set off in the trailer the following Saturday and home came Baby Ace.
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He is adorable, sweet and a complete baby with a number of missing puzzle pieces in his learning but I am completely over the moon with him.
Ok, there was an incident when I tried to hack him alone on the cross country field for the first time... He saw the tractor (that lives in his barn) from 300 yards and galloped off. When I slowed him to a canter the fun really began. He bronced and bronced. All i could do was throw my weight into my stirrups, hold my jesus handle and wait for him to stop! We eventually got back to the gate and had a chat (and polo) with a transporter who was on the field but his confidence was shot. I got a good case of whiplash and he still can't ride on the field as he just stresses and panics. In the arena he is sweet, although his canter isn't exactly established and he tends to buck or stop! I had a look at him loose and i think it's a strength/balance issue so we have taken a step back on all that and will try again in a few more weeks. At least I know he's got the springs to play over a few jumps in years to come!
He is however a brilliant hack, both alone and in company. He has happily little ears that look around all over the place and is quite content on his adventures on the local lanes. I think a year of doing as much hacking as possible will get us to a great place.
Abi - I loved your mare anyway, but even more so now with her breeding. Love that pedigree - my boy is by HR too ?
Um, can we join in with covid puppy purchases or is that too controversial?
Ermm I’ll jump on this ? bought our lovely boy Ghost at the beginning of covid -
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Ermm I’ll jump on this ? bought our lovely boy Ghost at the beginning of covid -
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??I'm waiting .....
??
Another terriery critter to add to my collection - she was 4 months old when we got her but we were just taken with her picture and since we had been looking idly for a younger dog to add in for a while.....
Phoebe!!
Day she arrived (not sure why my arm looks such a weird shape)
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About 17 dog beds in the house but she chose the laundry basket
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Learning to enjoy a good lie in
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She's brave as hell and quite the climber, so she does stuff like this, although on the plus side she seems to enjoy pulling debris out of the gutters while she's up there ?
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Now close to 6 months old she is well at home and loves OH
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I'm hoping to do a bit of midget agility with her, because I think she'd quite enjoy it
What's with the climbing!?
I’m in awe of your kitchen ? beautiful pupper too!
I just love his cheeky little face!I’m not sure you can really class mine as a covid buy because I’ve only recently bought him!
But TJ was an absolute gem of a find and well within my budget. Originally I wanted a cob, after hunting high and low I realised my budget wasn’t going to get me what I wanted. So I enquired about a friends section d mare that she’d advertised (I’ve always been a welshy girl) however she had decided to keep her due to the amount of time wasters she had. But she mentioned she had a wonderful laid back Arab mare that she would happily put on loan with view to buy - making sure we were both suited etc before purchasing. Arabs are beautiful animals but not a breed id consider owning, but at this point I was happy to consider any breed as long as the temperament was spot on.
Anyway I arrived and she’d been brought in but it took them a while to catch her which was apparently out of character and she wasn’t herself (she’d been out on loan previously and come back in a state) so they weren’t really overly enthusiastic about me trying her and tbh neither was I! So I was miffed but admired their honesty.
However they had a plan b, by this point I was giving up so thought ahh well I may as well try him. As soon as I sat in the saddle I knew he was my horse I’d been waiting for.
So meet TJ, my 8 year old section c gelding. It was love at first sight, we had our first hack together last night and he was absolutely amazing. I even cantered across a field which for me is HUGE on a horse I don’t know.
Today we went in the jumping field to school, I prefer schooling on grass and it’s closer to the yard. I’ve never known a pony (a welsh too!) that prefers to stand in the middle and watch in a field of grass when he could be cantering around instead ?
He’s amazing. I’m absolutely smitten with him, he’s very lazy but he’s unfit. But his temperament is beautiful, he’s cheeky but respectful and I trust him so much already. You can see I’m showing off riding him on the buckle too, showing his old owner how fabulous he is!
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I just love his cheeky little face!
May 2020, trip up the m25 in full lockdown, to Essex. A Friend saw her advert on fb, and messaged to say could we go now and see the mare being advertised, by a riding school.
it wasn’t convenient for them, so the next day, took some cash and the Horsebox, and came back with my lockdown mare.
the M25 was amazing, as it was so quiet. We Saw a few police stopping white van man going up to view, but absolutely none coming back,as I was abit worried about validity of the essential journey.…
I wanted a happy hacker, riding school weren’t even sure she would hack as they didn’t hack due to insurance requirements. She was being sold as she was very opinionated and not suitable for a riding school. I also wanted a welsh section D, as we show them. She is a part bred.
she is the most fantastic hack, and very safe. She can indeed be very opinionated,especially with her hind legs. The riding school did not do any research on her, or they would have sold her for 10x what I paid, as she not only has BS points, but also was reserve champion one year at the Royal welsh show. She is not that keen on jumping, but my feet don’t leave the ground so that is fine By me! She seems to have been passed around quite abit, maybe as she is opinionated or maybe as she isn’t quite as honest jumping as kids tend to need, as she is just 14.2hh.
However, unless my situation changes, she won’t be sold on, and doesn’t need to worry about jumping again, so she can enjoy mainly being a happy hacker.