Your riding story

111ex111

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bit of fun really, whats your riding story? (from when your first sat on a pony to where you are now). Pictures welcome ;)

Mine is boring:
Riding school after Riding school, about 5 in total in the space of about 6 years. Had a break for a few months as was so fed up but decided to give it one more chance, best decision ever, the riding school I went to was really really good, I went from only just being able to canter to jumping 2'9 jumps (badly) in the space of a few lessons. went on holiday to cornwall and rode a 4yo ISH on the beach :cool::rolleyes: I felt pretty proud of myself ;)
anyway, went to see a relatives horse who is a 4yo 18.2hh shire at a yard 5 mins down the road from me, rode him, which was an experience ahah but he is such a character. on the same yard (in fact the stable next door to their shire) was a horse who needed a sharer- perfect opportunity, it was like fate! so been sharing him for 6 months now and my riding has come on so so much. Also another opportunity has come up at the yard for a cob who needs a rider, first time riding him tomorrow! so I have gone from a awful riding school rider, riding twice a month to riding some amazing horses 2+ times a week :D Hopefully one day I will have my own!
 

Landcruiser

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Mine's very different. Pony mad as a child but too poor for lessons or a pony, so at about 11 started hanging round a local horse dealer (low end!). Learned to ride, mostly bareback, learned to lunge, back youngsters, even how to tack up for driving! At 15 found boys/booze/parties, at 18 working full time, yada yada. Fast forward 30 years, 3 husbands, 2 kids, and the odd holiday ride (including 2 very influential trail rides in the USA) or short spell exercising horses for a friend.

Bought first horse aged 48, a Uraguy born cattle-working criollo, and proceeded to attempt to ride western. Found western trainer, improved, loved western. Bought second criollo a year later. Now almost 5 years on, thinking about trying Trec this year. Most of my riding is hacking, I'm pretty confident and working on body awareness and more advanced western stuff. Sad about the lost 30 years, but making up for it now:D
 

Sol

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Always loved horses from a very young age, after riding my rocking horse down the stairs (don't worry -I did first put on my mums old riding hat!), I think my parents decided it was probably safer just to get me on a real horse :rolleyes: I started lessons just before I was 5, when I was about 8 we moved 'to the country' with the thought that mum would have space for her dogs & I could maybe have a pony. At this point I was having 3 lessons a week & helping out on sundays at the local RS ... which was however quite poor on the teaching front, but very cheap!
When I was 9, we were offered an 11.1hh welshie, Dimples, very cheaply. Being still very novicey really, when we tried him he seemed ok so we bought him - despite him being everything we said we didn't want, and having already approached a family friend who certainly knows his stuff about horses regarding finding a suitable pony. Turned out that Dimples was far from perfect, he had had no schooling, he was headshy, spooked, bucked, would tank off or refuse to move, didn't like being tied up, washed and detested the farrier. Oops. I fell off pretty much daily and wanted to give up quite often at first!
I didn't though & kept riding him until I'd pretty much outgrown him.
Before then though, I'd started riding at a new riding school/dealers yard. Most of the ponies I rode were bought to sell, so were often 'fun' :p I also used to hack out my instructors 17.1hh showjumper sometimes, despite my feet barely coming past the saddle flaps :eek: I got quite into jumping there though & by this time loved anything that was naughty to ride. We bought my 2nd pony for my mum to share from there, a 13.2 mare who was bombproof but a 'lively' ride & loved to jump, proper schoolmaster although jumped at high speeds!
We then had to sell Marble, because we nearly moved to America, Dimples was one of our last few animals as we were worried about where he would end up. We didn't go, and he went out on loan as a companion. I started riding at another new RS, where I learned more 'precise' riding - how to school and get the horse working well for me, which I loved. I started riding a friends few horses & joined the PC, did some mounted games. Got my first horse, who really was too good for me, but I learned lots from her & do miss her very much. I had her two years and decided she should go somewhere she could compete regularly & get out more - my parents didn't want to be at horse shows or venues every weekend. I also stopped my RS lessons before this time.
I then got Dante, who I still have. Somewhere round this time I decided I didn't want to SJ, but dressage instead. Another learning curve! I kept trying to ride him like my previous horse, which was stupid. He was almost as tricky as her, but in a different way. We tried a lot of instructors, tack, and have been on 5 yards including at my dads house, for various reasons. I'll have had him 4yrs soon and it's only really in the last year we've got things cracked, and he's coming on so well! I now have a fabulous instructor, and saddle sorted, bit sorted, and training methods sorted. We are moving forwards :) I thought I wanted to compete for years, joined BD & did one comp, ran out of money as needed new saddle more. Now, I don't miss it at all.
At one yard I also got asked to ride my YOs (now a very good friend) Fell stally, who I fell in love with. Rode most of her ponies at some stage, and looked after the yard when she was away. I now have one of the stally's sons!

So now I have 3 ponies - Dante, Dimps my first pony, and an 8 month old colt :D Didn't expect that! I don't really compete or care too for more than fun, but would love to train classical dressage & eventually teach. I thought I would be determined to work with horses when I left school, but instead am an artist & just keep my 3, at least until I can do more on my own :p In a way, I haven't done what I wanted, but I've achieved more I think, I'm so glad I am where I am now! :)
 

RLS

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OK, you asked for it!
I started riding when I was about 4 yrs old. I have ridden at riding schools and at pony clubs with friends’ ponies/ horses fairly regularly all the way through my teens. There was a slight break from riding during my first year at University. But then I found the Uni riding club, which visited a local livery/ dealer’s yard every week. And boy did we get to ride all sorts there! It was very educational.
I got my own first horse when I was 21; he was a 16.1hh, 15 year old retired racehorse. I had him for 18 ½ years, and when he died 4 years ago I missed him so much (and still do) as he was such a character and all round fun horse, and the best nanny to my young horses. But I didn’t cry on the day I had him pts as I thought: he’s had a great life; he’s lived to 33 yrs old; he’s peacefully and painlessly going to sleep forever, on a sunny day in his field; what else can you possibly ask for?
I have also had other horses on loan during these years. Two were young highland ponies, one of which I started from scratch and the other was just backed. They were real characters, too; ‘stubborn’ does not cover it! Then a 15hh mare which I looked after and rode for about 18 months, before she was diagnosed with navicular and her owner decided to have her pts, which was very sad. Next I had a 14.3hh Arab mare (the dam of my current horse) and a 15.2hh Arab gelding (they were brother and sister) which belonged to a friend. These 2 were both young/ green horses when I first got them, and it was such fun to see them progress over the years I had them. They returned home to my friend a few years ago. I have heard just recently that the mare had to be pts this year, which is very sad. She was a lovely, sweet girl.
My current horse is that home bred Arab. I sat up all night in a corner of the stables to watch him being born. I rubbed him down with a handful of straw and stood by him when he stood up for the first time on wobbly legs (mostly to stop him doing a header into the stable wall). The mare was quite happy for his 2nd mum (i.e. me!) to be in the stable with them. He’s now 7 years old and, God willing, will be with me for another 20 odd years.
I do know he is (just?!) a horse, an animal, but he is also my baby - all be it a large, smelly one!
What on earth would I do with my time if it wasn’t for horses? Where would be the fun, without slogging through muddy fields at 6am in the winter to break the ice on the water trough? Or chasing the little git ‘round the field in the summer because he just doesn’t want to work that day, and thinks it’s funny to see me run? Nursing a broken arm for 2 days in the hospital until they can operate on it, after a fall? Driving home from the beach with wet knickers after being dumped in the sea (again) by a bouncing, ginger, jack-in-the-box? (We’ve had some issues with water.) Never having any money to buy posh clothes, or holidays, because the horse has eaten it all?
But then: feeling smug taking home second and third places from the local dressage league (it generally only took about 45 minutes riding-in for him to stop his Tigger impression). And second and fourth places from my local intro jumpcross competitions (including water jumps!!!). And who says Arabs can’t jump? Sometimes they don’t want to, and they certainly have to see the point of the exercise, otherwise, no chance. But gingernut loves jumping; I’m the one who needs to be braver!
And, a glutton for punishment, I now have another horse to look after and ride, as well the gingernut. This one belongs to a friend who is a novice horseperson and has a young son – so basically does not really have much spare time for the horse. Bought the mare straight out of a field (while on holiday), after being told not the entire truth by the vendor, I think. The horse was shipped over 6 months later, a month after that she had a foal and then horsey decided she did not want anyone anywhere near her from that point on! And she was quick to use her teeth to back that up. So, lots of patience/ time later (just over a year) she is now a completely different horse. She’s been broken in and is turning into a great riding horse. Although, she can still be a little head shy and kinda strong willed at times! Her foal is a big, cracking, bold filly and will make a great riding or competition horse, if we can only stop her jumping the field fences/ gates whenever she gets the notion!
(The filly has now gone onto a very good home, with the intention of turning her into a showjumper or eventer, eventually.)
Le Fin.
 

*Maddy&Occhi*

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Fell into horses when I was around 6, went with a friend to ride her sisters pony and never looked back :) ...started lessons at a riding school and was there for a while untill, with a friend, we moved onto a private yard where we loaned various ponies for a few years, from there we moved to loan another pony at another yard...and then moved on to loan dozens of ponies/horses at said yard for 7 years until the age of 16, I bought my first. Completely over-horsed myself and rushed into buying and ended up with a 15.2 ISH sharp, fizzy and just was a complete loon (but was beautiful to look at...stupidly this was the reason I bought her, young and naive I was back then). I had her for 8 months until I sold her on but by god did she teach me how to ride, you had to be an extremely quiet rider with the nact of getting her to stay steady and sane, jumping...well :rolleyes: that's another story in itself. So, at this point I was at a fantastic competition yard (I had moved from the yard I had grown up on for 8 years as I knew it was time to move on) and with their help I bought my beautiful second mare, she was a typical ginger mare and was a handful but an absolute dream to ride, had evented and was an absolute dressage superstar, progressed with her in which I went over to Portugal to train and work with a few top dressage masters and fell in love with the Iberian breed. Sadly I lost my beautiful mare back in June 2012 and my world absolutely crumbled apart :( ...I owe this mare everything, if it weren't for her I wouldn't have developed my love/passion for dressage and wouldn't have experienced amazing adventures in where she took and taught me. I had a little break for a few months and now have a beautiful 5 year old Andalusian mare who has extreme pottential for dressage, she's a little devil ;) but reminds me why I fell in love with the Iberian breed. And the rest...well it's still yet to come :)
 
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HufflyPuffly

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I have been horse mad from before I can remember, but none of my family were horsey at all! My mum had ridden as a child but had given up in her late teens, and although we were outdoorsy (having dogs and my dad and brother fishing) it was still a shock for them :D.
I begged to look at ponies, stroke ponies, ride ponies at all opportunities, and once I started school begged for lessons. At 8 years old I had pleaded so much my dad gave in and let me go for horse riding lessons at a local riding school, so that I could 'grow out of it', he was adamant I would get bored and move on ;).
Hahaha bless him.
I rode at the school as much as I could, my mum started having lessons as well and I quickly progressed up to riding on my own lesson and cadging any free space on her ‘adult’ only lesson, (they were group lessons):D. I helped out at the weekends and spent all my free time at the stables as long as my mum would take me. I learnt to ride on all the horses and ponies and the naughty little ponies were my favourite:eek:! I soon cottoned on to the lazy full livery brigade :rolleyes:and soon had the trade of doing their jobs (and saving them money for full livery at weekends) and getting rides on their horses. I learnt an awful lot from that yard and had the best childhood education about ponies, yards and care. The riding instruction was ok depending on the instructor but not the best.
I went on a few riding holidays with friends to a place in East Yorkshire and my dream of having my own pony was realised for those week long hols, as you got to pick a pony (obviously guided to a suitable match) and then you did everything for it for the duration of your stay, it was bliss whilst I was there but devastating to come home to no pony.:(
My dad had by this point given up on the ‘she will grow out of it’ idea, but with my mum losing her job as her company was bought and then moved abroad, they couldn’t afford a pony. I carried on lessons and riding anything offered.
I went to college and my friend (who had horses all her life), went through a tough time. Her loan pony, who she adored and had proved all the doubters wrong about, moved to Portugal with her owner. Her sister was given a horse on loan that she had been giving lessons to but the owner was scared and had lost interest in. My friend hated the horse, she couldn’t ever replace the one she lost and she didn’t want a replacement! I went to a show with her and she pointed the horse out to me, after all the stories I wasn’t sure what to expect, but OMG she was the most perfect creature I’d ever seen:eek:, my first words were I’d buy her in a heartbeat if I could…
My friend did ride her and came around in the end to not hating her, and did marvels at sorting out her traffic problems and went some way to sorting the anxiety problems that had been caused by her last home. She hadn’t been mistreated at her last home but her owners didn’t click with her and she had been left with no routine and poorly ridden which had resulted in an upside topline and no condition at all, she looked awful. Her sister came to the point that she couldn’t afford her care anymore and the owners didn’t want her back so it was agreed she would sell her for them. As I had been riding her as my friend had broken in her youngster they knew it had to be the first refusal came from. However my parents response to the endless question “Can we have a horse?” was always no, no ifs, no buts, just no. So my friend called and asked if I wanted her, she knew the answer but I said I would ask anyway… they said they would think about it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I couldn’t believe it I accidently hung up on my friend I was that shocked and had to ring her back.:eek:
So yes we bought her, and she is what I always knew from that first moment, she is my horse of a lifetime and she has a home for life. She looks the best she’s ever done at nearly 20years old but she’s proof that they can always come back with the right care, feed and riding! We have qualified for bigger shows than I ever thought we would, me being new to showing and her a veteran, with the highlight being the Cherif Championships last year and getting to meet her breeders, they hadn’t seen her since she was a yearling!
Here is the gorgeous creature in question:
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And just to add insult to injury for my dad, we decided that one wasn’t enough and in 2009 my parents bought Topaz. Tehe she was for my mums 50th and although more than we bargained for is such a darling in the stable and doesn’t mean to get you off, means she isn’t going anywhere either.
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So that’s it for now 15 years’ worth of riding and I am living the dream of having our own horses!
Sorry if that was longer than you wanted but you did ask.
X
 
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*Maddy&Occhi*

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Fell into horses when I was around 6, went with a friend to ride her sisters pony and never looked back :) ...started lessons at a riding school and was there for a while untill, with a friend, we moved onto a private yard where we loaned various ponies for a few years, from there we moved to loan another pony at another yard...and then moved on to loan dozens of ponies/horses at said yard for 7 years until the age of 16, I bought my first. Completely over-horsed myself and rushed into buying and ended up with a 15.2 ISH sharp, fizzy and just was a complete loon (but was beautiful to look at...stupidly this was the reason I bought her, young and naive I was back then). I had her for 8 months until I sold her on but by god did she teach me how to ride, you had to be an extremely quiet rider with the nact of getting her to stay steady and sane, jumping...well :rolleyes: that's another story in itself. So, at this point I was at a fantastic competition yard (I had moved from the yard I had grown up on for 8 years as I knew it was time to move on) and with their help I bought my beautiful second mare, she was a typical ginger mare and was a handful but an absolute dream to ride, had evented and was an absolute dressage superstar, progressed with her in which I went over to Portugal to train and work with a few top dressage masters and fell in love with the Iberian breed. Sadly I lost my beautiful mare back in June 2012 and my world absolutely crumbled apart :( ...I owe this mare everything, if it weren't for her I wouldn't have developed my love/passion for dressage and wouldn't have experienced amazing adventures in where she took and taught me. I had a little break for a few months and now have a beautiful 5 year old Andalusian mare who has extreme pottential for dressage, she's a little devil ;) but reminds me why I fell in love with the Iberian breed. And the rest...well it's still yet to come :)

My first mare-
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occhijump2.jpg


My horse of a life-time, RIP.
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One of me out in Portugal.
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Only have those pictures on my comp so not very varied, haven't got any of my new girl either :(
 

Crugeran Celt

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My mum says I wanted to get on a horse for as long as she can remember, as a very small child I would pretend the arm of the chair was a horse!! Started having lessons at the age of 6 after nagging for years. I am one of 6 children and parents could never afford a horse for me but had regular lessons. As a young teenager started riding a friend's aunty's horses, bare back in a head collar on the mountain! Met my OH whose sister was also horse mad and she asked me to ride her horse a few times a week to keep her fit so did that and continued having lessons. When my sister in law outgrew the horse she was given to me as I was then working and could afford to keep her. Then bred from her and had my TB/Welsh filly who is now rising 20 and when my MIL's arab died 5 years ago I bought my Welsh D to keep mare company. So not had many horses but am now also the proud owner of 3 minis. I have never wanted to compete and even though my first pony could jump anything it never interested me to go down that route. I just love hacking, especially on my own yearly in the morning when it is so quiet and peaceful. Been riding now for 41 years and have had my own horses for the last 29 years.
 

TrasaM

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All you lucky people being able to ride as children.
My first experience started with Neddy the donkey. I climbed up on his back fr the first time when I was just 4 years old and promptly fell off the other side and cut my head. I was banned from any further interaction with said donkey but of course I paid no heed. My father didn't like or trust horses so he refused to buy one so Neddy continued to tolerate my riding him about until my legs got too long at about 12 years old.
I'd always loved horses but I never got, or made, the opportunity to learn until June 2011 aged 52. I started with weekly lessons then upped it to twice weekly in order to made some better progress.
After about 6 months I was switched to a more forward going horse. He was tense and difficult and had difficulty halting:eek: he's taught me so much about riding, especially calmness. He also showed me that the type of riding I was being taught was not where I wanted to go. So I then started taking lessons from a French classical instructor who is a really great coach. I still take lessons with my regular school because it's near and I want to keep riding my favourite horse until I can do justice to the horse he is.

I am really fortunate to have friends with horses so I share ASBO cob, aged 6, a veteran TB x who can be a very grouchy old man, especially at feed time, and just recently a 17hh IDxWB mare who scares me a little as she can be unpredictably spooky at times.

Learning to ride has been a wonderful and enjoyable journey. I'm trying to learn as much as I can to make up for lost time. I had two months off in autumn after I broke my collarbone and got very depressed. There is just something about being about horses which cheers me up. Loving it :D
 

Crosshill Pacers

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Was bought a pony aged 7, father has always had horses (used to breed Welsh mountains, then had several hunting horses over the years). Had riding lessons at a local riding school on RS ponies, moved yard, took own pony for lessons. Seven years later gave away first pony as had outgrown and knew some children who needed quiet plod, father's previous horse had passed away so he bought us a shared horse. He came home with a total lunatic 8yo Standardbred mare, barely broken to ride. He used her for shepherding a few times, I took her to riding yard and had lessons attempting to reschool her with my instructor, worked on trot and canter and taught her to jump. She threw me off and broke my elbow, father became too scared to ride her (as she was so unpredictable) so bought a 17yo trotter mare for himself from the same lady who owned the first one. I got back in the saddle, had a crack at hunting my mare, as well as PC. Came off hunting one day, landed on my neck/back. Mare was put in foal. Second mare was also put in foal. Father bought two Irish trotters in foal, started our small breeding venture. My riding dwindled to a few catch rides out hunting on a friend's trotter when back from uni. Sold offspring until decided to keep my girl and her sister and raced them.

Twelve months ago osteopath identified misalignment in my neck and back as a direct result of the fall 8 years ago which had caused me to be hospitalised on one occasion with a suspected stroke (loss of feeling in one side of my body, neck pain and slurred speech). Have moved back home from uni as saving to buy a house, osteopath has 'fixed' my back and neck and I am now riding the 5yo daughter of one of the Irish mares my old man bought. We now have one broodmare, my girl who raced at 2,3 and 4 and is now retired and will be used for whatever I decide we'll do (currently hunting but hoping to start jumping in the summer) and a 2yo filly my dad bought in the sale last year for racing.

Got a job as a part time groom five years ago due to my reputation for being able to ride mad trotters (reference first mad mare), met OH through my job, got my current part time job with STAGBI thanks to OH and am moving to Scotland in just over 12 months to live with OH and help break and train his trotters. Plans in the future are to have our own Standardbred stud and train and race the horses we breed, plus break them to ride. My girl will come with me to Scotland and will stay with me forever.

Phew! And here I am today :) confidence which was lost on first mare is quietly being restored by the most gentle, genuine and honest horse I've had the pleasure of knowing. I must have done something right with her from the beginning for her to be so wonderful :)
 

Shantara

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I won't bore you with much detail from the beginning, but basically I had some lessons, loaned a few fab ponies until the stables closed.
I left when I was about 7 and went around various riding schools, having a lesson every week, each sapped my confidence more and more until aged around 9, I saw a child very very nearly die by being thrown off a pony and dragged along a fence, her head bouncing off each post.

Then I found my current yard and I haven't looked back!
I only had a lesson every week until about 3 or 4 years ago, when I started to help out and hack out the horses for YO.
I started to do more and more around the yard and when Ned came (after hating him for a short while) I started to work with him.
Fast forward a bit and I am now the proud owner of my first horse :D Given to me by the wonderful YO who saved me from giving up horses all together!

Me and my brand new boy on Christmas day :D
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CaitlinGB

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I never remember being horse crazy before I got my first horse but I sat on a horse for the fist time when I 2monthe old (one of my auntys) and when I was 3-4 I leased a long I could ride at pony club days. I went to a riding school for about a year when j was 5 From then on my other aunty had a horse waiting for my that had been her children’s pony and so we took the 30h drive to go get him. He was a typical great first pony and I had him for about 2yrs I them morbid on to Gemma who was a retired campdrafter and was a little bit of a step up from hombre but not much. We then began the pony search..... we looked at 13 horses multiple that we would have loved but failed vet checks and we eventually got spotty was was yet another typical 2-3rd pony. We still have her at the moment and she was Defintly a problem horse sometimes but I fell in love with dealing with naughty/inexperienced horses from 6 and I was very confident and not a nervous rider at all. We then got Rosie who was less educated but not exactly a project pony. I am still riding g her and she has gone from doing 70cm and prelim dressage to currently jumping 1.20 and elementary dressage, she is only 14.2 chunky highland pony though so I have currently got another hose in work that is 15.3 4yr tb who has potential to compartments 1.30? I also had a friends who Brock in horses and trained them up etc and I have done a lot of work with her because I love it!! I am currently 13 and honestly don’t think i would do a career without working withy them. Sorry if it’s to long!!
 

SEL

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I have been horse mad from before I can remember, but none of my family were horsey at all! My mum had ridden as a child but had given up in her late teens, and although we were outdoorsy (having dogs and my dad and brother fishing) it was still a shock for them :D.
I begged to look at ponies, stroke ponies, ride ponies at all opportunities, and once I started school begged for lessons. At 8 years old I had pleaded so much my dad gave in and let me go for horse riding lessons at a local riding school, so that I could 'grow out of it', he was adamant I would get bored and move on ;).
Hahaha bless him.
I rode at the school as much as I could, my mum started having lessons as well and I quickly progressed up to riding on my own lesson and cadging any free space on her adult only lesson, (they were group lessons):D. I helped out at the weekends and spent all my free time at the stables as long as my mum would take me. I learnt to ride on all the horses and ponies and the naughty little ponies were my favourite:eek:! I soon cottoned on to the lazy full livery brigade :rolleyes:and soon had the trade of doing their jobs (and saving them money for full livery at weekends) and getting rides on their horses. I learnt an awful lot from that yard and had the best childhood education about ponies, yards and care. The riding instruction was ok depending on the instructor but not the best.
I went on a few riding holidays with friends to a place in East Yorkshire and my dream of having my own pony was realised for those week long hols, as you got to pick a pony (obviously guided to a suitable match) and then you did everything for it for the duration of your stay, it was bliss whilst I was there but devastating to come home to no pony.:(
My dad had by this point given up on the she will grow out of it idea, but with my mum losing her job as her company was bought and then moved abroad, they couldnt afford a pony. I carried on lessons and riding anything offered.
I went to college and my friend (who had horses all her life), went through a tough time. Her loan pony, who she adored and had proved all the doubters wrong about, moved to Portugal with her owner. Her sister was given a horse on loan that she had been giving lessons to but the owner was scared and had lost interest in. My friend hated the horse, she couldnt ever replace the one she lost and she didnt want a replacement! I went to a show with her and she pointed the horse out to me, after all the stories I wasnt sure what to expect, but OMG she was the most perfect creature Id ever seen:eek:, my first words were Id buy her in a heartbeat if I could
My friend did ride her and came around in the end to not hating her, and did marvels at sorting out her traffic problems and went some way to sorting the anxiety problems that had been caused by her last home. She hadnt been mistreated at her last home but her owners didnt click with her and she had been left with no routine and poorly ridden which had resulted in an upside topline and no condition at all, she looked awful. Her sister came to the point that she couldnt afford her care anymore and the owners didnt want her back so it was agreed she would sell her for them. As I had been riding her as my friend had broken in her youngster they knew it had to be the first refusal came from. However my parents response to the endless question Can we have a horse? was always no, no ifs, no buts, just no. So my friend called and asked if I wanted her, she knew the answer but I said I would ask anyway they said they would think about it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I couldnt believe it I accidently hung up on my friend I was that shocked and had to ring her back.:eek:
So yes we bought her, and she is what I always knew from that first moment, she is my horse of a lifetime and she has a home for life. She looks the best shes ever done at nearly 20years old but shes proof that they can always come back with the right care, feed and riding! We have qualified for bigger shows than I ever thought we would, me being new to showing and her a veteran, with the highlight being the Cherif Championships last year and getting to meet her breeders, they hadnt seen her since she was a yearling!
Here is the gorgeous creature in question:
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And just to add insult to injury for my dad, we decided that one wasnt enough and in 2009 my parents bought Topaz. Tehe she was for my mums 50th and although more than we bargained for is such a darling in the stable and doesnt mean to get you off, means she isnt going anywhere either.
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So thats it for now 15 years worth of riding and I am living the dream of having our own horses!
Sorry if that was longer than you wanted but you did ask.
X

I don't know why this thread appeared after 7 years but knowing you recently lost her this actually brought a tear to my eye x
 

Skib

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My riding story was a dream come true after I retired - and in spite of a bullying first RI who swore I would never ride and predicted I would kill myself hacking.
But the success and the pleasure I have had depended so much on the input of other people who took an interest - unthanked at the time and often women whose surnames I did not know.
Plus my unhorsey OH who told me all that mattered was saddle time - just to sit on a horse.
But after the first 2 or 3 years (think GCSE) it depended on my own initiative - going out and finding the right teachers and the right horses.

In all human riding stories, there is the inevitable death of the horse or successive horses they love most. But what is rarely noticed is the way that beginner riders may be saved by a horse. I loved the first RS horse I rode and though he was too wide for me, he did as I asked on the ground when I untacked him and rugged him.
A mutual sympathy between the horse and rider or handler seems to me paramount. Much later when I shared a horse, the RI sugested that the reason the horse hacked well for me was that she complied when I was on the ground.
If I tell my riding story - I guess that ground work was the basis for me too.
 

Eclipse 2020

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I was a horse mad child I keep asking for lessons and a pony when I was 5 years old. My parents got me lessons i keep asking for pony but that didn’t happen . My parents spit up and I could not do lessons for a few months because my mother could not afford . I was desperate to ride so I got a job as a teenager and pay for lessons myself. A few years want by just doing lessons. I part loaned a horse for awhile after that ended. At 18 I bought my own horse i still have have her to this day best decision of my life .
 
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