EstherYoung
Well-Known Member
Today has been the end of an era as I made the difficult decision to say goodbye to H. He was 27 and had been in my life since he was 3yo, but his back end was failing and if he'd have got to the point where he couldn't up I would never have forgiven myself. I owe that horse everything, he was my world and my best friend.
Harry got us through our horse exams, he went hunting (very successfully), we broke him to drive on the grounds of Cane Hill Mental Hospital, he went cross country both ridden and driven, he didn't disgrace himself showjumping and dressaging, he went racing, and we did lot and long of trail riding. We did several sections of the pennine bridleway, we did the Ridgeway, the Jack Mitton Way, lots of exploring over the NY Moors (including our infamous November adventure LOL), he's been all over the North and South Downs, and had trail riding trips to the New Forest and Wales and Derbyshire and Cumbria. You could take him anywhere. He found his niche in endurance riding and made things so easy for me. We competed up to advanced level and he even won some ERs/PTRs. We wound down a bit over the latter years as with his delusions of indestructibility I decided I would rather have a sound horse into his 20s rather than risk him injuring himself. We had a fantastic 25th birthday party for him and a lot of his old trail mates attended, and at his final organised ride later that year he finished by piaffing sideways back into the venue like a 4yo stallion.
He has left an enormous hole. If you're ever riding over Loadpot Hill looking down over Ullswater, or if you're ever riding round the top of the Hole of Horcum, think of us and remember those clever bay feet that trod those trails before you.
Harry got us through our horse exams, he went hunting (very successfully), we broke him to drive on the grounds of Cane Hill Mental Hospital, he went cross country both ridden and driven, he didn't disgrace himself showjumping and dressaging, he went racing, and we did lot and long of trail riding. We did several sections of the pennine bridleway, we did the Ridgeway, the Jack Mitton Way, lots of exploring over the NY Moors (including our infamous November adventure LOL), he's been all over the North and South Downs, and had trail riding trips to the New Forest and Wales and Derbyshire and Cumbria. You could take him anywhere. He found his niche in endurance riding and made things so easy for me. We competed up to advanced level and he even won some ERs/PTRs. We wound down a bit over the latter years as with his delusions of indestructibility I decided I would rather have a sound horse into his 20s rather than risk him injuring himself. We had a fantastic 25th birthday party for him and a lot of his old trail mates attended, and at his final organised ride later that year he finished by piaffing sideways back into the venue like a 4yo stallion.
He has left an enormous hole. If you're ever riding over Loadpot Hill looking down over Ullswater, or if you're ever riding round the top of the Hole of Horcum, think of us and remember those clever bay feet that trod those trails before you.
