What was your one moment with your horse that you'll cherish for life?

Hovis_and_SidsMum

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If you had to pick one moment with your horse that you could freezeframe for a lifetime what would it be?

Sid - after he failed the vetting hubby rang and told them we didn't want him. I went bananas at him, knowing if we didn't have him what would happen to him and made him ring to tell the lorry to turn around and bring him back. When he got back I went up to the stables and stood with him. He put his huge black head on my shoulder and just blew softly against my face. I always think it was him saying thank you.

Hovis - winning my first and to date only rossette! I jumped off and flung my arms around him - the photo of his face is hysterical, he looks so embarrrassed of his mother!

What are yours?
 

Cop-Pop

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B - The first time she called to me from the field and came bombing over to see me - until then she had always been so scared of people and it took ages for her to want to bond with me.

Cop - Going to her first show. She hadn't left the yard since her arrival 5 years previously, had never done anything apart from stand in a field and have babies. She walked off the trailer as cool as a cucmber and into an indoor arena (never seen one before) with about 40 other ponies all going nuts and she stood quietly, trotted up with no fuss or anything and stood beautifully for the judging. Then while everyone else was trying to control their ponies after the class she walked out and loaded herself
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adgetom

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with tom last night i rode him after a year off with suspensory damage a broken leg and bone spavin .
i never thought i would ride him again.
morgan when he won his 1st jumping show
 

kit279

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About 3 days after I got my chestnut - I was sitting on his paddock fence waiting for the farriers who were late. He just came and hung out with me for about an hour, nuzzling me. At that point, I promised him 'I will never ever sell you'.

Re grey horse:- I'm still waiting! Come on lad, do something affectionate!
 

bensababy

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1) Riding my boy again after nearly a year out through Laminitis.

2) when he was a yearling opened a gate to let him in field and he dropped like he had been shot and started playing with a bit of poo with his foot.

just general things he does that makes me laugh
 

vennessa

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My one moment i often think about was with Florin.
Due to circumstances i had to put her on the South Common - she loved it.
My moment was visiting her early one morning. No-one was around, a misty morning with birds singing. Florin was totally relaxed. She rested her head on my chest and i put my arms around her head hugging her. She fell asleep. I can feel her now. It was a truly special moment i treasure.
She was so terribly psycholically effected she lived a life of shear terror of people. It was a few minutes where she could be her true self.
It is so ingrained with me i can still feel her and smell her. I loved her so much.
 

kerilli

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Katy - when she relaxed and went softly and beautifully and we won our first dressage comp. also, finishing her first novice xc after a pretty testing track at Eland and thinking "WOW, she felt fantastic the whole way round" and giving her loads of fuss.
too many to mention with the others!
 

bensababy

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[ QUOTE ]
My one moment i often think about was with Florin.
Due to circumstances i had to put her on the South Common - she loved it.
My moment was visiting her early one morning. No-one was around, a misty morning with birds singing. Florin was totally relaxed. She rested her head on my chest and i put my arms around her head hugging her. She fell asleep. I can feel her now. It was a truly special moment i treasure.
She was so terribly psycholically effected she lived a life of shear terror of people. It was a few minutes where she could be her true self.
It is so ingrained with me i can still feel her and smell her. I loved her so much.

[/ QUOTE ]

maybe im emotional today but that story bought tears to my eyes!
 

sugarnspice

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That's a tricky one
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, I've had several "You're the best!" moments (as well as some "I hate you" ones
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). There have been a few times when he's been in a really sweet mood, the most recent one was when we were in the field, I think he was feeling a bit off because of the thunder the night before, but I was hugging his head whilst he just dozed off. That was very sweet
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.
I'm always proud of him after any comp. we do. This was one very special moment after our first dressage test
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Fairynuff

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When Winnie looked at me with compassion in his eyes for ME seconds before he was put to sleep after 7 hours of sheer agony due to a lympoma twisted around his small intestine
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I still cry for him today
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Persephone

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This may sound a little odd, but being with my 30 year old when she was pts.

I arrived at the field to find she had, had a TIA, she was down in the field, she still whickered when I called her name and I had a pocketful of treats for her as always. I knew in my heart she wanted to go. She made no effort to get up, just laid there with her head on my lap, eating treats and having strokes and kisses. Mentally she was all there, but her body had given up.

It took about 45 minutes for the vet to arrive. In the meantime hubby had turned up so we had half an hour sat there just the three of us. It was slightly hazy, the birds were singing, it was just the perfect time for her to go.

She had already gone as the vet finished giving her the injection. He said he had never seen a horse so ready to go. Then we all sat there with her and blubbed.

I am so grateful for those last 45 minutes with her. I know she was happy and went peacefully. You can't ask for more than that.

RIP Sandy. So missed.

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Flame_

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[ QUOTE ]
If you had to pick one moment with your horse that you could freezeframe for a lifetime what would it be?


[/ QUOTE ]

Flame - back when I had no transport, a group of us from a past yard hired a box to go to Somerford Park. I'd seen her jump before I bought her but I could never get her to do it. With hindsight it turned out that she already had pretty advanced navicular and sidebone, but that day she wasn't letting that put her off and she ran on pure adrenalin. I, for once, got the chance to find out that jumping big fences is easy when the horse wants to do it.

There's been plenty of others on other horses since, but that's the feeling that I remember the best and I so wish I had some pictures of my pony from that day.
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itsmyparty

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When our other boy was horribly lame and stumbling about (we didn't know what it was but all OK now thank God) I was with our other boy, Farley Wickens, in the next stable, sobbing onto his back. He was munching at his hay net as usual and is normally very grumpy and unaffectionate. He stopped eating and turned his head round to nuzzle my side for about 30 secs. I swear he was trying to comfort me. OH says he was trying to tell me to stop making his back wet !!
 

kerilli

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Having thought more about it... with my first horse, Queenie, a lovely generous idxtb mare. i had her for about 14 years, showjumped her, showed her, evented her, then bred 3 cracking foals from her. she was a lovely girl. one night she was out on Bonfire Night nannying her babies, (she was very sensible and didn't ever run around) but i went up to check on them all. we lived about 5 miles from Kettering then, and as i stood in the dark with her (none of the others wanted any fuss,they were just mooching around!) all we could hear from all directions was fireworks going off, bang after bang, it was like being on a battlefield i guess. at the time i'd been reading a lot about Waterloo and what it was like, and i imagined a soldier with his horse there, surrounded by the same sorts of sounds, and the smell of gunpowder.
It was very strange, i got really caught up in the moment, and in thinking how lucky I was not to have to endure such things. we stood in the dark watching the displays and listening to it for ages, really quite something (to me, anyway!)
 

ClareHasler

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OMG! Too many sad stories today, i am sitting here with tears in my eyes. Maybe because we all know what it is like to lose one of our best friends and what some of them go through in life. I still can't bear to spread Jazz's ashes even though i lost him 3 yrs ago now, too many good times to think of. Best & worse though was being with him in his final moments, at least he went peacefully & quietley knowing i was with him.
 

Spot_the_Risk

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That 'special' look I get from my horse is one I cherish, on nearly a daily basis. He isn't a demonstrative horse (I've owned him for 11 years, so he won't change now!) but he'll look at me sometimes like he knows he's the most important horse ever to me (we have three, all living out together). It's a really straight look, bam, right at my eyes, his eyes are soft and gentle, ears forward at me, I swear he's saying that he and I are the only ones that matter!

I also find it terribly sweet that if we're having a rub/scratch/hug in the field, and he's enjoying it rather than just tolerating it, he'll drive the other horses or the dogs away, it's as if he gets jealous. This wouldn't be remarkable to some people, but my horse has always been at the bottom of the pecking order wherever he's been. Bites, kicks, tears in his skin, wrecked rugs, even a splint, all caused by others over the years, but somehow he feels brave when he's with me.
 

seaofdreams

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Mine with Lottie was watching her give birth to her son, in 2007, 4 years ago i was told i would probably have to have her pts due to an injury, she is still doing well & we hope to put her back in foal next year.

Spyro well that's an easy one too, watching him being born, being my first homebred, he is a very special boy.

Mouse has to be the Tim Stockdale demo we were invited to do in front of 250 people, i was so scared but Mousey was a star and never put a foot out of place, she was amazing mare, i was never scared or nervous on this horse about doing anything i trusted her 100% i miss her so much (oh drat here come the tears!)

Kraka is a very special boy, he has come from a very different back ground, he came while i was selling mouse (May 08) so i was very down but he has been a star and just settled into my regime like he has been with me for years, he managed to bring a tear to my eye last Friday, i had a drs appointment so was late getting to the yard mum had already brought him in and he was eating his dinner tied up on the yard, i walked on the yard and he spotted me and gave me a huge whinny, which mum had said she didn't get !! It was also a special moment when i sat on him for the first time 3 weeks ago i hadn't tried him before i got him and i had given him time to relax and chill when he came to me.

I am very lucky to have 3 lovely horses
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ace123

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Some happy
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and some sad
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.....
1) Being with my horse ( Ted ) when he took his last breath. and crying for a week solid but now remembering the good times with him. R.I.P Ted
2) watching the foal we got (( after he was taken from his mum at just 2 months)) grow in trust, strength and personality. He's 14 months now and such a trusting, brave and cute little man
 

Natch

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Henry - it was a snowy day and he was so fluffy and snuggled up in his rug when I turned him out... he went away to graze and I stood leaning on the gate watching him - then he came back to the gate and we had a wonderful, simple moment just standing there, lovingly with each other because we wanted to, for simply ages. He posed at the gate for some photos too, which are my favourite pictures of him.

Frankie - having been through so much (getting the same injury as I lost Henry to and recovering from it, having the most behavioural problems I have ever known with schooling, built front heavy, temperament like no other) and his owner having bet me that she would give me £100 if I could get him doing dressage and the money seemed so safe with her at the time... for us to do our first walk/trot test and for him to try his heart out for it and we came 3rd... that moment there, when I went back to the trailer to tell her and hug him and show him his rosette, and I was so proud of him I cried my eyes out.. I'd want to immortalise that forever too.

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God I'm soft!
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BTW that moment may well be superseeded when we eventually win our first red rosette - it's elluded us for so long, and the bet still isn't won, I've got to come 1st or 2nd in a prelim or above!
 

RachelB

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Maiden - being persuaded to do our yard chase me Charlie and confidently jumping all of them up to about 2'6" (BIG for me!!) It was the first time I'd really felt "at home" jumping.
Berlin - sorry it's going to have to be a tie! The first is being at camp in my first lesson and actually feeling this fantastic little horse go *properly* forwards under me for the first time. I felt like I could have done a medium test there and then (and camp was only his second outing in his life!) The second moment was when we cantered an entire 20m circle with four coloured poles at each "corner". Berlin has a pole phobia and I have zero confidence jumping (including poles) and it all just fell into place that day. It was Berlin's first outing ever, an RC training session, and he wasn't spooky at all and really got on with the job. Both of those things made me realise just how much potential this little horse actually has!
Kit - going 90mph up on the local open field that we gallop across, and her mane was whipping me in the face!
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Walrus

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When I was 14 I had a lovely 23 year old pony called Catkin on part-loan from the riding school I was at. I'd only ever ridden at a riding school before him and I had him for 6 months as that's what my parents would allow / could afford. I used to take him hacking out on my own all over the place and he was the sweetest safest pony. I can remember spending hours brushing him and oiling his feet whilst he just stood their with a resigned look on his face. The best bit with him was going to get him from the field and he was laying down, I could go and curl up with him and he never moved, sat there for ages and as I got up found a 4 leaf clover in the field. I still have a photo of him in my room with the clover in the frame too.
 

lucie1984

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I have many with my old girl, so many, but one just before she was pts we sat in the field hugging her, i decided i couldnt be there when she was but i said my goodbyes and as i turned to leave she got up the first time she had done this on her own in 12 hours..my Oh said she was saying remember me as strong and happy!
my other mare i remember our first winter i turned her out in the snow she pranced (sp) around snorting at these strange stuff where the grass should be! very funny! oh i could go on for hours! i miss my girls!
RIP Rosie...xxxx
 

girla

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With my mare velvet when she had her 1st filly foal, i got there after about an hour of her being born in the stable and Velvet wouldn't let anyone near the foal.

When i turned up i wanted to get in the stable to make sure everything was ok, i went into the stable and she just looked at me as if to say look what i've got for you and pushed the filly over to me to look at her. I stayed in the stable for about 2hrs (sitting on the floor) and velvet layed down and actually layed her head on my lap and dozed perfectly happy with the filly (lilly) laying sleeping and me stroking her neck. Me & Velvet had a very strong bond (i bought her when she was 9 months old) but that day showed me how much she totaly trusted me and i felt very very priveledged that she did so.
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quirky

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Pickles - when we won our first rosette (a 4th) for show jumping, I cried I was so proud of him. All the times we went on the opening meets. He was 13 2HH and insisted on being up front with the huntsmen. He'd jump five bar gates, hedges that were so high my feet would brush the top of them. He absolutely loved hunting. Sadly passed away now.

Jazz - when my husband bent down to pick a treat up for him that he'd dropped. My hubby rustled the haylage plastic by accident, Jazz jumped in the air and landed on my foot, breaking 2 toes. I'm shouting that "your an effing liability", to which my husband says "yes, you should get rid"! Thing is, I was talking about my husband, not Jazz. Still makes me laugh when I think about it to this day.
 

josephine

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When I did Suffolk County for the first time, thinking "I'm out of my league here..". I was pulled in first and remained there after the judge rode my beautiful girl - she did a flying change for him and he had a huge grin on his face the whole time he was riding her. I was so proud of her, and still am, 8 years on. I have many cherished moments, as someone else, said, I could go on forever.
 

Bright_Spark

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I have lots I'm afraid!

The first time I sat on Septre.

Gypsy, probably winning an in hand chapionship. It meant so much to me as she never had won anything before.

My last sight of Sirrius is my last look at him, he was suckling from Amber, and she just rested her head on top of his bum.

Jethro, the first time he whickered at me.

Binky, the day after I got him, I was sitting in the field and he came over to me and dozed off resting his chin on my shoulder.

Amber, when she is in a cuddly mood and actually wants a fuss.
 

poiuytrewq

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Getting the impossible to load Harlequin onto a lorry and galloping along a huge beach- overtaking the TB's and hunters who were stabled at our yard and swimming out to sea!! (he was only 14.1!!)
 

hellybelly6

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The first time Jake whinned at me, when he follows me around the field and the first time I hacked him out following his split tendon surgery and boy was he excitable.
 
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