To all those searching for their old horses

[ATrueClassAct]

My friend has been searching for her 13hh old pony for 5 years now. She had to sell him because she sadly outgrew him. She lost the number of the lady she sold him to so unfortunatly hadn't had any contact since she sold him. After years of tracing him and putting adverts out she got a call from a lady who said she had him and he had died of colic last year, the only thing is that she said her Desmond didnt have a pink nose like my friends old pony. But this was the closest she had got so with all the evidence she presumed it was him. However this year I decided to check up on a riding school I used to go to in the lake district. Went on it and under meet our ponies was a 13hh grey gelding named Desmondo. Showed this my friend and she contacted the yard. Pictures were sent and we got invited today to go see if it was defiantly him.
Well drove to the lake district today and sure enough it was him! She recognised his freezemark and it was said he had come from Manchester!
He pricked his ears up straight away when he saw my friend and neighed to her.
Here is their reunion after my friend had stopped crying haha.

The owner of the riding school was lovely, she let us groom him and stay with him for a few hours. The place is a lovely riding school which taught me to ride and care for horses.
So here's proof that never give up hope when tracing a horse!

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

Aw bless!!! What a lovely story. If it was me I'd be wanting to buy him back again ..... but then I'm just too much of a softy.

 

[ATrueClassAct]

Well the owner has said when he retires she can have him. Hes so happy there now and currently she doesn't have the time for two. But he's 19 now so in a few years when she's finished uni and with a full job she could afford the two!

 

[HappyHorses:)]

That is such a lovely story!

My heart strings have been well and truely tugged.

 

[indie999]

What a fantastic story with a twist too!!

You know I wish my old boys owner would come and see him...we lost touch and he has been such a good boy.
I would have done the same... good for you
But what a happy ending...

 

[ATrueClassAct]

I know. We are both in shock and just so happy to see him again. We are going to go up there again in summer and have a riding lesson at the school, obviously we can't ride Desmond but the other horses are lovely as well. Spend a day with him <3

me and Dezzie today haha in shock

 

[Topstripe]

What a lovely story and I am so pleased for your friend.

I too spent a few years trying to trace my 14.2hh JA jumping pony Topstripe. She was a dark bay but had a white patch under her belly. I sold her when I was 16 to a lady who wanted a safe schoolmistress - she seemed such a nice lady that I let her go cheap to her, I delivered her to her new home and said a sad weepy goodbye.

Ten years later decided to try and find her and put an ad in a national magazine. I got a call from a woman who had owned her in Newcastle! They said they didnt get on with her so sold her to a friends son just up the road and they still had her. I contacted them and hey presto went up to meet her and she too neighed when she saw me - I burst into tears. Apparantly they had had her 10 years and the woman who bought her off me only had her 6 weeks and sold her for double the price - the cheek of some people! I asked to buy her back - she was 23 at the time and they wanted £2000 for her as they had changed her name and got her back to JA again...I did not have and thought was silly money but they rang me a couple of months later and told me she had gone to a lovely PC home in Windermere. She probably will have died by now because that was a number of years ago - I am 37 now...

So there are successful tracing stories -so any of you out there thats looking for your lost friends - do not give up.

 

[ATrueClassAct]

Ive also found the first owners of my 22year old mare, they lost contact with the people they sold her to who then sold her to the people I got her off. I think they presumed she may have been dead since they hadn't heard anything for 17 years haha. They've sent me loads of lovely pics of her at HOYS, PUK and qualifiers! And I've sent them pics of her enjoying her life now with
me the past 7 years. Oh these ponies!

 

[muddygreymare]

I learned to ride there -stopped going last year. I know many people who love Desmond and have ridden him many a time. I also have quite a few photos of him at their latest open day this year - if your friend would like to see them let me know and i'll PM you So glad she managed to find him

 

[ATrueClassAct]

You rode there?! Haha! What luck. That would be absolutely amazing if you could, she would love to see them. He's an absolute star Des, she always did so well on him when she owned him. So glad he's still super happy.

 

[muddygreymare]

You rode there?! Haha! What luck. That would be absolutely amazing if you could, she would love to see them. He's an absolute star Des, she always did so well on him when she owned him. So glad he's still super happy.

Certainly did! I started riding there when i was 7 - left last year when i got my own mare (will be 16 in about a month) but he wasn't there when I left i don't think. I'll PM you with a link to all the photos He looks fab - so glad she managed to find him

 

[ATrueClassAct]

Oh wow. I left 7 years ago when I got my own pony. Used to love Solitaire, saw her today haha! Shes looking great for her age

 

[ATrueClassAct]

Also thanks so much for the PM. I'll send them her when I've got my laptop! Can't seem to reply to you on my iPod ...