Old keepsakes/items you still have tucked away

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Ellietotz

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I was going through some old bits last night and found a bag with some rosettes in and the number card from my first show with the string still attached.

What do you still have that holds valuable memories? And how long have you had it?
 
My childhood rosettes are in a box in m parents attic. I'd completely forgotten about them, but dad was on the hunt for something and came across a box of my stuff. Must have been up there since they moved in 25 years ago!
 
We have a bridle that my Nan brought for my Mum's first pony - he used it for 23 years. In the last years of his life, it was donated to my Shetland, and it's now worn by her 18 year old son!

Lots of old bridles and bits around. Mum's got a pair of leather, buckle up brushing boots that belonged to her TB in the 70s and we keep lots of old shoes.

Rosettes never leave the house and are all on display, Mum still adding to her collection after 40 years!
 
Loads of stuff!

A brass bridle disc bearing the name 'Mustard', which belonged to my Mum's Exmoor ... he died in the early 80s, aged 28. Mustard was THE most appropriate name.

A body brush I still use daily - has one of those punched, sticky name tapes on it saying 'Patsy' (you'll need to be of a certain age to know what I'm talking about!) ... Patsy came into our lives aged 2 in 1978.

Oldest 'keepsake' is probably a photo which is my FB profile pic.
The year is mid 1970's. I am at a rare gymkhana outing on 'my' riding school charge, Inky, a leopard spot appaloosa. My Mum is in the background, as is her car - a Morris Traveller, registered in 1967.

Also in the photo is one of my friends from the same yard - Karen. Used to ride Phantom. She was about 11 years old then but her daughter is still an HHO member, I believe! :)

I am proudly wearing my grey school cardigan, black rubber riding boots, my red school tie ... and Inky is sporting a blue and yellow plastic broadband, a pancake saddle and a purple, nylon-covered home-made foam numnah (we used to sew the front of the cover up with big stitches, so they could be undone and re-sewn each time the cover was washed ...)

I worked at that yard every weekend, leading Inky with beginners on his back for about 3 miles each ride, for 7 rides over 2 days. God, I was fit!

Then as I got to my teens, I helped feed 27 before and after school each day ... and clean all tack every Tuesday evening. With boot polish on some, and all bits/stirrups/saddle studs Brasso'd. After a wet weekend, it was like brown cardboard!

I LOVED it! I was often exhausted and wet though and grumpy but I wouldn't have missed a moment of it.


Happy, happy days to learn all about ponies. No pressure, no mobile phones, no 'where are you?!'s, no time limits, no worrying about diagonals or which rein you're on ... just getting you and your happy, scruffy, hairy little equine from A to B without too many scrapes on the way. And hiding the bruises from my Mum!

(Will now admit to galloping up grass verges, trying to jump people's driveways ... Apologies to all those house owners :/ )


Sorry! I have waffled terribly but as a mental 'keepsake', all of the above is with me as clearly as yesterday.
 
I have my first pony's shoe and summer sheet from the late 80s, and her last headcollar and turnout rug from 4 years ago. Some trophies from the 90s...wish I still had my bag of rosettes. Haven't seen them for years!
 
The wall next to the tack room door has horseshoes nailed to it - one for each horse and pony that has lived there - and a couple of very old cart horse shoes we found in the fields by the mill. And also a very, very old, tiny shoe that the farrier said was roman, though I have my doubts.
 
Shoes and headcollars are all I've kept in the way of horsey keepsakes.
I actually borrowed the leadrope of my first ponies headcollar a few weeks back out of desperation as I couldn't find a spare and the horse pulled back and broke it :(
 
Shoes, a piece of tail and 2 browbands, one rainbow crystals and one beaded, from my first pony I actually found his bridle in our garage the other day too. Rosie's bridle, headcollar with a nameplate on and a few other bits of tack I couldn't bear to throw away. Those live under my wardrobe and I start crying every time I get the bag out. Some of her boots etc. still get used on Henry. I keep all my rosettes, I have a massive bag of them, and some of them on display on a pinboard in my bedroom. Although, not as impressive as some of the things on this thread, as oldest thing I have is about 10yrs old (except maybe some rosettes are a bit older...)
 
I have this from Jake:

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The girls from the yard bought it or me and surprised me with it about two weeks after he was PTS. I also have his well worn/daily used leather headcollar and I will never get rid of it.
 
I still have my early rosettes.So maybe 40 years old. I don't display them now. I keep all first,second and thirds if i have written on them and any really nice ones from championships. Often i would write on them what had happened and if it was funny I keep it. I also have some old dressage sheets. It is nice to look back and remember the good times and funny comments about horses I loved. I also have a handmade double bridle which is beautiful. I will probably never use it again so should sell it.
 
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