BookWorm
Well-Known Member
Hello,
Been reading some of the lovely, well written stories on here and been inspired to write my own. Its the store of my horsey life......Ive only started it today so its got lots to go. Just wanted to see if you guys like it and would be interested in following it.....cheers!
I have always loved to read and write. I can recall winning several prizes usually books, for creative writing when I was at primary school. The highlight of my school term was when the ‘book club’ used to come round. As primary school pupils we would be given a thin book catalogue then metal book shelves would appear in a large open area of the school corridor and we were able to buy the books we had ordered. Throughout the rest of the year I would have to supplement my reading hobby with regular trips to James Thin the book shop. Walking downstairs to the children’s and teenage books section was like entering an Aladdin’s cave of goodies for me. Looking back now, I think my passion for books and of course horses, was ignited in the same instance when aged three my dad’s friend Davie gifted me a book called ‘the Golden Book of Ponies’. It was a large hard backed book with a pretty un-child friendly beige cover with golden writing on the front. Inside however were a range of horse quotes and facts about different breeds and typed of horses but it was the fabulous pictures of young girls on well groomed ponies donning red ribbons and showjumpers freeze framed mid jump that caught my (short spanned three year old) attention . I still have the book and to this day I don’t know why my dads friend thought I would like it because as far as I know I had given my parents no indication that one day I would be possessed by this horse obsession! If my parents had any idea of the number of future ‘can I get a pony?’ conversations this book would have provoked they probably would have chucked the book on my grans’ coal fire!
I spent most of my childhood building a shrine to all things horsey in my bedroom. Why my parents put so much effort onto decorating my bedroom with pink rosy wallpaper and matching border I will never know as it was quickly concealed by a variety of posters from ‘Horse & Pony’ and ‘Pony’ magazine. I loved to have pictures of my show jumping idols on the wall and was so chuffed when I finally met and had my photograph taken with Geoff Billington at a display him and Oliver Townend were doing few years ago. I also met Ollie but I doubt if I ever had his picture on my wall as he probably would have been too young back then, but I may be wrong.
In my room I had an old mahogany burro to store my books. I read many a horsey book in those days but when I read the Patricia Leach stories I was absolutely enchanted. She wrote about Jilly, a young girl who would ride a fiery chestnut mare through the moors. I wished I was Jilly.
It wasn’t until I was about nine or ten when my friend J asked if I wanted to join her for a riding lesson at the local riding school. Of course I jumped at the chance and seeing my excitement my mum agreed to let me. The riding school was only roughly a ten to fifteen minute drive from home but my mum didn’t drive and my dad was always busy with work which had prevented me from going there before. I was nervous with excitement on the morning of my first riding lesson. My mum and I didn’t know much about horses. (All I knew was that I loved them and that they loved mints) so I filled my pockets with XXX strong mints which my mum had bought from the corner shop. My mum was a worried that the smell of the mints emanating from me when I was on board would turn the horses crazy or something so I left a few n the pocket of my red cotton gilet and put the other two hundred or so (ok, slight exaggeration) in a see through bag for my mum to carry. It must have been about half past on a Saturday afternoon when J and her mum arrived in their car to collect me and my mum for J and I’s lesson at two o’ clock. It was a cold day and we arrived early to get our ponies brought around to the indoor in good time. My name was paired up on the list with a pony called S which was ticked off by the riding instructor before a stable hand was called upon to get him tacked up. S was a bright grey 13.2hh, extremely cute, extremely round pony with a hogged mane. I thought he was amazing and even more so once I was on him. After my lesson I walked around the yard to meet all the horses and ponies and gave them all mints. I’m sure the liveries at the stable were thrilled about that! But hindsight and all that...
Soon I was having regular weekly lessons on S, sometimes having to ride other ponies if someone had beaten me to booking him first. As my riding capabilities improved I rode a large variety of ponies and as I grew taller I settled on a 14.2 thoroughbred mare called G as my favourite. She was an older horse but although her hips protruded and her ribs were visible she was athletic and like me, she loved to jump.
Been reading some of the lovely, well written stories on here and been inspired to write my own. Its the store of my horsey life......Ive only started it today so its got lots to go. Just wanted to see if you guys like it and would be interested in following it.....cheers!
I have always loved to read and write. I can recall winning several prizes usually books, for creative writing when I was at primary school. The highlight of my school term was when the ‘book club’ used to come round. As primary school pupils we would be given a thin book catalogue then metal book shelves would appear in a large open area of the school corridor and we were able to buy the books we had ordered. Throughout the rest of the year I would have to supplement my reading hobby with regular trips to James Thin the book shop. Walking downstairs to the children’s and teenage books section was like entering an Aladdin’s cave of goodies for me. Looking back now, I think my passion for books and of course horses, was ignited in the same instance when aged three my dad’s friend Davie gifted me a book called ‘the Golden Book of Ponies’. It was a large hard backed book with a pretty un-child friendly beige cover with golden writing on the front. Inside however were a range of horse quotes and facts about different breeds and typed of horses but it was the fabulous pictures of young girls on well groomed ponies donning red ribbons and showjumpers freeze framed mid jump that caught my (short spanned three year old) attention . I still have the book and to this day I don’t know why my dads friend thought I would like it because as far as I know I had given my parents no indication that one day I would be possessed by this horse obsession! If my parents had any idea of the number of future ‘can I get a pony?’ conversations this book would have provoked they probably would have chucked the book on my grans’ coal fire!
I spent most of my childhood building a shrine to all things horsey in my bedroom. Why my parents put so much effort onto decorating my bedroom with pink rosy wallpaper and matching border I will never know as it was quickly concealed by a variety of posters from ‘Horse & Pony’ and ‘Pony’ magazine. I loved to have pictures of my show jumping idols on the wall and was so chuffed when I finally met and had my photograph taken with Geoff Billington at a display him and Oliver Townend were doing few years ago. I also met Ollie but I doubt if I ever had his picture on my wall as he probably would have been too young back then, but I may be wrong.
In my room I had an old mahogany burro to store my books. I read many a horsey book in those days but when I read the Patricia Leach stories I was absolutely enchanted. She wrote about Jilly, a young girl who would ride a fiery chestnut mare through the moors. I wished I was Jilly.
It wasn’t until I was about nine or ten when my friend J asked if I wanted to join her for a riding lesson at the local riding school. Of course I jumped at the chance and seeing my excitement my mum agreed to let me. The riding school was only roughly a ten to fifteen minute drive from home but my mum didn’t drive and my dad was always busy with work which had prevented me from going there before. I was nervous with excitement on the morning of my first riding lesson. My mum and I didn’t know much about horses. (All I knew was that I loved them and that they loved mints) so I filled my pockets with XXX strong mints which my mum had bought from the corner shop. My mum was a worried that the smell of the mints emanating from me when I was on board would turn the horses crazy or something so I left a few n the pocket of my red cotton gilet and put the other two hundred or so (ok, slight exaggeration) in a see through bag for my mum to carry. It must have been about half past on a Saturday afternoon when J and her mum arrived in their car to collect me and my mum for J and I’s lesson at two o’ clock. It was a cold day and we arrived early to get our ponies brought around to the indoor in good time. My name was paired up on the list with a pony called S which was ticked off by the riding instructor before a stable hand was called upon to get him tacked up. S was a bright grey 13.2hh, extremely cute, extremely round pony with a hogged mane. I thought he was amazing and even more so once I was on him. After my lesson I walked around the yard to meet all the horses and ponies and gave them all mints. I’m sure the liveries at the stable were thrilled about that! But hindsight and all that...
Soon I was having regular weekly lessons on S, sometimes having to ride other ponies if someone had beaten me to booking him first. As my riding capabilities improved I rode a large variety of ponies and as I grew taller I settled on a 14.2 thoroughbred mare called G as my favourite. She was an older horse but although her hips protruded and her ribs were visible she was athletic and like me, she loved to jump.
Good luck!
)
