With 2014 looming...

Being placed in our first ever(for both of us) BE event !! On a horse that had so many problems 3 years ago when I bought her.... well she still has a few problems but we are working on them :)
 
Plus point - having a hip replacement and being able to ride pain free :-)

Minus points - as soon as I started hacking out on my pony after the op she was diagnosed with RAO. Cue a summer of Ventapulmun, inhaler, long periods unable to be ridden. Followed by, in Autumn, flare up of RAO and diagnosed with low grade Cushings. :-(. Started Prascend - pony brighter and more energetic when ridden. :-) Now has a cough so can't be ridden at the mo . :-( *sigh*
 
I have had a really great year with my youngster that I bought at the end of last year. I started the year barely able to ride her; she was extremely nappy and explosive, would buck, bronc, leap and spin during every ride. She was a complete and utter nightmare and there where times when I wondered what I had bought and I really regretted buying her.

Thankfully at the end of April we had a breakthrough and since then we have gone from strength to strength. She now hacks out happily alone and in company with hardly any napping.

We started schooling and jumping and a couple of months ago I finally plucked up the courage to start competing (I had never competed before!). I was unsure how she would behave but she has been an absolute star, always behaves perfectly when we are out. Dressage wise we have won 3 classes and been placed (in the top 4) most times out. Last time out we got our best marks yet, 69 % and 72.5%, I never thought I'd enjoy dressage but I am beginning to get the 'bug'.

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Jumping wise we haven't had as many clears as I would have liked due to silly poles here and there but she is taking it all in her stride and seems to love it. I need to learn to ride a course though and stop panicking! She's popped over 1.05m at home so I know she's got the scope we've just got to bring it all together!

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She still has her moments

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but generally she is now a joy to be around :)



I am so proud of how far she has come and I'm loving competing more then I ever thought I would. We are both learning together and having fun along the way :cool:
 
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Doing this (and placing 5th) with my rescued, frightened, written off PRE gelding at Hartpury breed show, after a 600 mile journey (from Ireland). Never been so proud of a horse in my life :-)
 
My yearling Hugo coming 2nd at our local county level show which was his first ever show :), all though my OH took him in the ring, i turned him out and did all the prep (teaching him to walk and trot in hand and stand up properly). :)

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SORRY ITS HUGE!!
 
passing my trailer test :) and taking dotty out in the trailer 4 times completely on my own- and she has barely traveled before so feel very brave and proud of myself!
eventful moment: falling off at a sponsored ride, when after some lovely jumping dotty decided to drop her shoulder. had a slow motion fall and for a second though she was going to gallop off across a field to join a group in the distance. thankfully she didn't and we enjoyed the rest of the ride, except for a headache from knocking my nose!
 
My most significant moment was definately taking a pony swimming this summer! It's something I'd always wanted to do when learning to ride as a child, and I got the chance this summer. It was in a privately owned lake, so really safe, and so much fun! I got very wet but completely worth it.
 
Our 4 yr old winning first time out BE and her ET foal being born and gaining a higher first premium at Futurity as a show jumper :)
 
Managing to hack out a very few times, whilst having chemotherapy for breast cancer. Young cob looked after me whilst I hung onto to a neck strap and my friend accompanied me with a lead rein just in case.

I will be embracing 2014. This year can foxtrot oscar.
 
What a beautiful boy and a big journey cortez, you should put up photos more often :). and Hugo looks so much more grown up than his foaly pics- I know that should be obvious but :p.
 
It has been a great year for me. Finding my horse (okay, overheight pony!) of a lifetime, and seeing past the knobbly kneed scrawny yearling to that special something in his eyes. Bit of a rollercoaster so far: we had the castration incision that healed too fast, the mercifully brief stay at the yard from hell and subsequent stifle injury, and then our move to the best little private yard in the world. The all clear from the vet re stifle was the icing on the cake.

Biggest moment though was when I had a minor epileptic seizure whilst skipping out his box - and he stood like a rock beside me until I came to again. Think we are going to be just fine together :)
 
Without doubt winning the Polo Pony Class and Championship at Royal Windsor on Toque. I have never been prouder, his eyes were on stalks with all the flags, hackney carriages, shetlands in the Grand National and noise but he behaved like an absolute star, such an absolute pro. Makes tears come to my eyes even thinking about how proud I was :)
 
Realising our dream and moving complete with 4 horses, 3 dogs and 2 cats to the most beautiful countryside in the world and being able at long last to hack out with my husband and daughter. We just packed up, sold our field and moved 400 miles north from yorkshire to Banffshire in Scotland, a big step but you only live once! :)
 
SatansLittleHelper said:
Queenbee Ben is absolutely gorgeous ♥♥

I guess I dint have any "achievements" as such but (with alot of help from HHOers) I have sorted out all of my horsey issues and am now concentrating on my youngster who is my world. Its taken alot of soul searching etc but coming on here and getting proper advice from non- bunny-huggers has made a huge difference :)
Hopefully this time next year I will be able to say how greats things have been going with my boy :)
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Thank you :)

southerncomfort said:
Nothing truly amazing but I managed to keep the 3 oldies sound and healthy and FINALLY won my battle against confidence problems after a nasty fall last year. Went from not wanting to ride at all to doing 2-3 hour hacks this year and loved every minute. :)

Some amazing achievements by other posters and has given me some ideas of things to aim for next year! :)
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The overcoming your fears thing is a HUGE achievement, I've been there, not only is fear debilitating it's also soul destroying to have fear when it's connected to something you love so much. Well done :)

JustKickOn said:
Achievement- Coming 2nd in our first ever elementary.

Significant- Calling her from the top of the field and her coming all the way from the bottom. Two years ago it used to take me half an hour of chasing her round to finally catch her! Love her naughty little ways :D
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Yep, I feel thrilled to bits whenever I go to the yard and if Ben is at the top of the field he comes a running calling his head off to me, even if he's only just been turned out! It's sooooo rewarding, it's like you're their favourite person in the whole world, ebony was the complete infuriating opposite, but with Ben I know that if he didn't come something would be wrong.

monkeybum13 said:
Most significant moment - having my lovely mare PTS, she was far too young.
Achievement - finishing a fantastic season hunting with said mare, she was so much fun.
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I'm really sorry for your loss xx

SpottyTB said:
My yearling Hugo coming 2nd at our local county level show which was his first ever show :), all though my OH took him in the ring, i turned him out and did all the prep (teaching him to walk and trot in hand and stand up properly). :)

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SORRY ITS HUGE!!
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Well done! RC certainly was full of fab horses this year ;)
 
AdorableAlice said:
Managing to hack out a very few times, whilst having chemotherapy for breast cancer. Young cob looked after me whilst I hung onto to a neck strap and my friend accompanied me with a lead rein just in case.

I will be embracing 2014. This year can foxtrot oscar.
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?? I had no idea! Hope you are all well now and yes, here's to a fab 2014 for you x
 
Biggest achievement for me was placing 6th in the SJ and 19th overall at the BUCS championships. It is something I have aimed at for a while and nice to be able to compete on a level playing field because I haven't always had the horse power.

This year has been a year of ups and downs, possibly more downs though as I lost my horse of a lifetime (horse in my avatar) to a freak field accident - he was just 7 so that was absolutely heartbreaking. To be honest can't wait for 2013 to be over - bring on 2014!!
 
Last year I fulfilled a life long dream - to own my first ever horse at the grand age of 45. This year I had my worst ever nightmare - losing my first ever horse, my love, my soul mate to Equine Grass Sickness. Please, I urge every one of you to research it, and avoid it. It can be done by a few simple measures. Please don't think "it'll never happen to me".

I also lost 4 months early in the year to not riding my first boy as I had fractured my spine. I rode for a week before I lost him.

However, my first boy taught me the privilege and joy of horse ownership and I am so lucky to have found a very special youngster who accepts my quirks, my lack of experience but most importantly accepts my love.

I don't know what 2014 will bring but i'm sure it'll be full of frustration, hard work, and mostly a lot of fun. I must remember not to push for the 'big things' but be pleased and proud for the moments he tries, he gives and he in turn loves.

Great post as always Queenbee. Zeb93 - crickey, I thought my year was tough (my boy was 9) but to lose yours at 7 my heart goes out to you.
 
Finding the horse I was looking for and never expected too ! After retiring my Arabian gelding from endurance a few years ago, I decided to give dressage a bit of a go with him. BIG learning curve (bit, sit to the canter etc, etc), however am loving it and as he is getting on a bit, decided I'd better start thinking about another horse, specifically for dressage this time.

Don't know how it works in the UK, but here anything that has a sniff of Warmblood, goes for mega bucks certainly outside of my meagre budget, which was really disappointing, given I didn't want anything over two years old. Then I found Maggie on Trade-me and she had something that just caught my eye and I could afford her. She isn't a fancy European Warmblood, she is what we call a NZ Sport Horse - 3/4 TB and 1/4 Clydie. Very different to the Arabians I am used too, but a special girl that I can't wait to ride.
 
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Most significant moment - losing my mare to a loan that went horribly wrong at the age of 8 and being told to potentially retire my giraffe due to feet issues

best moment - being told I can come and collect him from Rockley in 3 weeks :)

2014 cannot com quickly enough as 2013 has been completely heart-breaking
 
Most signifcant: sadly losing my TB after trying all that i could to help his injury he sustained back in racing, and after spending 8 months working with my 5 yr old and getting him to MK3DE where he blew a tendon :(

Achievement: passing my lorry test and being able to ferry said broken 5 yr old to and from the vets

Not the best yr of my life i must admit.... Onwards and upwards as they say
 
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