horses and ponies past to present *pics*

[devonlass]

I am a bit bored and in a nostalgic mood,so thought would post some pics of the ones I have loved (and one that was lost sadly) in the last few years.

First off has to be the one and only love of my life horse wise (sorry Marb,I adore you but you won't ever match up to this girl).My darling Katie bear.I first saw her at 10 months old,and finally brought her home a couple of months later.
She was my horse of a lifetime,but sadly in a pony body.I stupidly decided to re-home her after having surgery that meant I would be out of action for a while,and realising that she would not ever be big enough for me to ride.I say stupidly because the irony is after managing to lose a fair bit of weight she probably could have carried me (although TBH I still would have felt to big on her),and also I now realise that no matter if I could never have ridden her,I still would rather have her than any other horse/pony in the world.Still live and learn I guess,and the family I let her go to are now firm friends and loved her as much as I did,and did loads more with her to be fair than I ever could have.
Tragically she was only with them a year when she had an accident in the trailer and a few day's later she had to be PTS,she was only 4.5 years old.They rang me as soon as they knew what was happening and I managed to race down to them just in time to be there with her at the end.Was a very grim experience,but am glad I was able to be there for her from the beginning and at the end.She was loved and adored her entire life,which is some consolation,but she was still taken too soon.It will be a year on 2nd october this year,and not a day goes by that I don't miss her.Some pics (sure some of you will remember her),of the one and only Miss Kate.

Day I brought her home as a yearling

As a fluffy almost 2 year old

Looking all grown up at almost 3.5 yrs old

RIP baby girl,the worlds a darker place knowing you're not in it.Sorry for being morbid,but she really was so special,and I kick myself every day for talking myself into letting her go,but what's done is done I guess.

When I knew I was getting Kate,I realised I needed a comapnion for her.My daft OH saw a sorry looking newfie mare at the sales one day,and bidded on her because he felt sorry for her.I could have killed him quite frankly.5 years old,practically un-handled it turned out,and couldn't even catch the witch!! Well after 2 years and a LOT of work (and money lol),I had her backed and riding on the lead rein.
I realised she was just way too special to sit in a field all her life,and as I could take no further (way too small for me,and none of my kids had any real interest) she now lives with a lovely family not too far from me,and is an 7 year old boy's best friend,they do loads together and she is spoilt rotten!! She was the most mannerly mare I have ever met,and although knew her own mind was never rude or badly behaved with it,an absolute doll who just needed some love and understanding.Her name was Lucky,aka miss Lucky Loo.

Have to say she was not impressed with that party hat,far too un-lady like and childish for her lol.

Next I got Carron the clydesdale.Was supposed to be looking for a suitable riding horse for me while waiting for Kate to grow up,and something OH could pootle about on maybe.Well ended up with the big girl,who I have to say was not really my cup of tea,but OH loved her and I felt sorry for her as she was a bit poor when I saw her,and looked so sad.
She was a lovely kind soul,just not for me riding wise,and after my surgery could no longer manage her size and bulk,couldn't even get on and off to be truthful.So she has gone to a lovely family,again local to me (had many people interested in her,that were far away,but turned them down as like to keep in touch and be able to see them at least once),who have their own dairy farm.
Even if she wasn't for me am very glad I bought her,and was able to get her away from where she was,and eventually find her the home she has now.I have visited her once,she is very happy,spoilt rotten and enjoyed by the whole family.

My fave pics of her,I never thought of her as pretty exactly,but think these pics show off the real presence and different kind of beauty she had.

Next I had jack the fell pony who is now owned by vels mum on here.I won't post pics of him as wouldn't be right somehow (and are some of him floating about at the mo anyway posted by VM).I bought him as he was small enough for me to manage physically,chunky enough to carry my considerable bulk at the time,and was brilliant and safe to ride for a semi decrepid person like me at the time (well and still am now really lol).He did his job very well for me,and I value him loads for that.He is now in the best home I could ever have found for him,and the only one I let go to anyone who wasn't local!! Me and VM almost had nervous breakdowns arranging his move to Shetland,but am soooo glad we did it,as he is in a place where he is thriving,just the right environment for him,and VM and her family are just the right kind of owners for him too.
Am sure even now she has no idea how made up I really am that he went to her,could not have found anyone better as far as I'm concerned,fairly sure Jack thinks so too!!

Then of course there's Marb,who is a very long story in himself lol.He's a twit,he's slightly bonkers,he's never going to be what I *wanted* in a horse,BUT he's also kind,gentle,affectionate,willing and quite possibly the most rewarding horse I've ever known.I have no idea what the future holds,but I do know that I never get tired of looking at him,and that even when I think of all the things we can't do,and might never do,I don't really care.He might be a muppet,but he's my muppet!!

So there it is,apologies for long and waffling nostalgia,and pics many of you have no doubt seen before,but gave me some laughs and some tears doing it.I owe a huge debt to all those horses and ponies,they taught me much of what I know now.I had a long break from horses,and coming back into it by getting a youngster like Kate probably wasn't the best plan,but am so glad I did it that way as has given me the confidence to take on so much more than I ever thought I could,and all of them have been great fun and each have a special place in my heart.

 

[Bodshi]

What a lovely thread and great pics. How you can not think Carron is pretty is beyond me - she's stunning! They're all beautiful horses and I'm so sorry about Katie, she does look and sound really special. Like you say, it's good to know she enjoyed love and comfort all of her short life.

Really enjoyed reading your post.

 

[vels mum]

That was lovely to read, Katie was gorgeous what breed was she, dont kick yourself about selling her we all do what we feel is best at the time and sounds like you managed to find her a nice home, its tragic what happened to her but nobodys fault.
Love the Clyde too, she is really pretty we had one similar in the field next to us, they really are gentle gialnts and have a real presence.
I wouldnt have minded if you had posted pics of the black one, it always makes me laugh how you describe his personality as its down to a 'T' especially his likeliness to Victor Meldrew :nerd:
Have to say though his grumpiness has gone, and I think that has to do with the fact he has around 16 acres to roam, something that was impossible to give him in Devon with the lush grass.
And Little Marbs, your doing great with him and its clear to see you both have a very close bond, he is rather stunning to!! :inlove:

 

[fairlady]

Fair play for you doing this thread, don't think I could do this without shedding ooodles of tears:wink:

It was a tragedy what happened with Katie, but not your fault, just one
of those sad events that happen.

Marb is fabulous, I don't think I have ever seen a Horse with such fabulously
unusual markings:wink:

 

[devonlass]

What a lovely thread and great pics. How you can not think Carron is pretty is beyond me - she's stunning! They're all beautiful horses and I'm so sorry about Katie, she does look and sound really special. Like you say, it's good to know she enjoyed love and comfort all of her short life.

Really enjoyed reading your post.

Thank you glad you enjoyed reading,and sorry it was long and waffling lol

I guess with Carron,because of her sheer size and bulk,she just never seemed what I would call traditionally 'pretty'.I am not a fan either of big white faces on horses (sorry to anyone who has one,I know some of them are lovely,just not my cup of tea as a preference),so that kind of put me off her looks a bit.
She did have a different kind of beauty though,a certain presence and inner kindness that made her shine in her own way.

Katie bear was about as special as they come,and the owrlds a lesser place for her not being here,but you are right it is a comfort knowing she was loved and cared for her her whole life,and never knew hardship or fear like so many do.

That was lovely to read, Katie was gorgeous what breed was she, dont kick yourself about selling her we all do what we feel is best at the time and sounds like you managed to find her a nice home, its tragic what happened to her but nobodys fault.

I wouldnt have minded if you had posted pics of the black one, it always makes me laugh how you describe his personality as its down to a 'T' especially his likeliness to Victor Meldrew :nerd:
Have to say though his grumpiness has gone, and I think that has to do with the fact he has around 16 acres to roam, something that was impossible to give him in Devon with the lush grass.

I know you wouldn't have minded hun,but he's yours to gloat about now,and somehow it didn't seem right in the context of this thread.I wanted to put him in there as he was a very important part of my journey,but didn't want to go on about him like the others now he belongs to you if that makes sense?? He is a funny one to describe,and I always chuckle about him when I think about him,he really was a Victor Meldrew at times,I swear he even used to roll his eyes in exasperation lol,although think that was probably only with me,convinced I annoyed the hell out of him really:redface::wink:

I'm certain you're right about his management playing a big part,for the whole time I had him he was either on a mud patch with no grass (first yard we were at),and then always restricted on areas only around half an acre big.No wonder the poor chap was miserable really,but was for his own good,he was just too greedy to know that bless him.Only time he was really happy was when he was stabled,and that was just because he loved his creature comforts and had food on tap in the form of several haynets lol

Katie was a highland x cob,although the type of cob is a mystery as she didn't have many cob traits TBH.I know the accident was no-ones fault really.Poor judgement maybe at the time of incident,but am not going to hold that against anyone as we are probably all guilty of that at one time or another.They really were a lovely family,and it was really only because I found them that I let her go at all.We are still friends and chat and meet up occasionally,in fact they are always pestering me to let them have Marb now lol as love him as well.I just wish I had never let her go at all,I just thought it would be better for her than standing in a field being a pet all her life,especially as she too was an incredibly good doer so wouldn't have been easy to manage as a field ornament.
She just didn't make the height and build she was supposed to when I bought her,chance you take buying youngsters of course.I probably couldn't ever have ridden her anyway TBH,even though I weigh less now.I would have felt big on her and as she was short backed getting a saddle big enough for my butt would have always been an issue,but it's just become on of those 'what if' things in my head now.
On a practical level letting her go was the right thing,they adored her and did loads of fun stuff with her,she had a much more interesting life with them than she would have with me,on a selfish level I have missed her every day since,and wish she was still here with me,even if I never did anything with her other than look at her.Misplaced regret I know,but is my one big regret in life none the less.

Fair play for you doing this thread, don't think I could do this without shedding ooodles of tears:wink:

Marb is fabulous, I don't think I have ever seen a Horse with such fabulously
unusual markings:wink:

I did shed a few tears when doing the first bit I can assure you,but in a weird way it's nice to allow myself to think about her as usually try and stop myself dwelling on it.

Thank you for the nice comment on Marb,he is a bit of a pretty boy isn't he,I don't say that to his face of course:wink::biggrin:

I was never a fan of spotty's,but must admit I like his markings,and they certainly are a bit different to the norm,think that part of his breeding is what makes him a bit of a twit though,so not all good lol.

 

[vels mum]

Ok heres my horses past and present.
I join a pc when I was 5 and fell in love with a skewbald Shettie called Bess, I used to take her for the winters and it was her who gave me my life long love for horses, no pics of her but I will have a hunt through mums old photo albums to see if I can find an old pic of her and will post later.
When I was 9 my RI's dad who was based in Hamilton was sent out to find me my first horse, id been riding for 4 years at this point and was desperate to have a horse of my own, mum was also getting riding lessons so it would have to be a horse suitable for both of us.
He found a 3 yr old grey conermarra x arab mare, 14.2h who arrived in Shetland rathar thin and wild, she was a handful and looking back I dont think she was propery broken. She was very head shy and I have my suspicions she had been ear twitched.
We called her Connie for the fist 6 months I was quite scared to ride her as she was quite a handful, she would rear and take of with mum but after a while when my confindence grew I finally started riding her, she wasnt the most loving horse and was quite marish, I remember spending hours trying to catch her as she was canter around the field with her tail in the air thinking it was quite amusing watching me try coax her with carrots :frown:
Her when she first arrived

Me and Connie a year or so later

I got an email from Connies owner earlier this year telling me she had been PTS due to a liver tumour, this was one of the last pics of her, owner was devistated and I shed a few tears for my old girl.

When I was 12 my RI informed us her dad was selling his horse Turk, he was in Hamilton and had a successful carrer in Showjumping, he had won the Glen Eagles winter series in 1991 but had recently had a very bad fall and become impailed on a jump post (the pole had gone through his shoulder :frown he had spent a long time at the Edinburgh Vets college and had now retired from showjumping professionally and was looking for a loving forever home. I was sad to sell Connie but she went to a friend who loved her and Turk was on his way to Shetland, he was a 16h ID x Danish trotter.
His first day in Shetland

My Auntie was over from America when he arrived, she did 3 day eventing and I remember her riding Turk for the first time and saying he had the most amazing floaty paces, Turk is the reason I fell in love with geldings and I swore id never have a mare again! :lol:
We did some local shows and carried on with pc
Here we won our biggest local show

I had my daughter at the age of 18 and kind of lost interest in horses for a few year, mum had bought a croft and had a bit of land so Turk was soley looked after by mum for those years.

In 2008 I decided I wanted another horse of my own, my daughter by this point was 10 and I felt I had the time and money to dedicate to another hairy beast.
I bought Vel as a yearling he was 14.2h when he arrived and it was love at first sight for me
Him and his brothers in Perthshire

I found a little Welsh Sec B through work who was looking for a new home, she was rising 4 and I decided to give her a home, I hoped to finish off her training and she would be my daughters first riding pony, as it turns out she is is quite a handful and ive decided to break her to harness as my daughter has already outgrown her, ive nick named her the Welsh Tornado which is quite fitting :help:

As I now had an odd number of horses (3) and decided I needed a companion for Dollie as Vel and Turk were stabled at night I took on an older Shettie who was looking for a new home, meet Hugo, 18 years old. He has had quite a tough riding life and was looking for a retirement home, he still enjoys the occasional hack out with my little sister but spends most his time lazing around the field being spoilt rotten.

My little sister rode him to the church on mums wedding day, we all arrived on horseback.

Lastly but not least I bought Jack from Devonlass on here, my daughter wanted a horse to ride but I needed something safe, also he is sturdy enough to carry me and mum the whole family ride him.

Chloe and Jack at their first show together, they got first for the fancy dress :tongue:

I still own all the above horses apart from Connie, Turk is 29 this year he put in a bad winter last year so im going to monitor him closely this winter if it becomes too much he will be PTS but currently im just enjoying our time together day by day.
Sorry this is so long but I had quite a few beasts to fit in!!!

 

[MissMare]

Really enjoyed reading all this thread. I hadn't seen it before starting one similar. Woops!

It is amazing how different horses effect us in life Great to remember as well.

 

[devonlass]

VM-you are so lucky having pics of your first pony/horse,I wish I had pics of all the ones I had in childhood and my teenage years.I think there were taken at the time,but have no idea where they are now.Have a couple old polaroids of my first pony Prince,but that's it sadly.

Lovely story,and Turk looks handsome as ever.Isn't it funny how they grey out so much.Your Connie was quite dark to start with,and so white in the last pic of her!!

Missmare-Don't worry about it,can never have too many pics of horses/ponies,or threads about them!!

It is indeed quite amazing how much the horse friends we have had,shape our lives and our views.I have learnt so much from all of mine,and owe them all a great deal.

 

[Bodshi]

I love this thread - wish I had some horsey history to post about!

 

[Vicki100]

Awww some lovley stories, made me feel quite tearfull!!

Heres a few of my old photos, of me riding George. I was around 6 at the time and rode this horse every week until the age of around 12. I love the socks of him, he was such a dream boy. RIP old gentleman

Havent got any photo's of the other beasties i have loved

And then theres my boy, who ive owned for around 18months. I love him to bits :biggrin:

 

[cobmum]

Love this post, although has brought a few tears to my eyes!! Keep posting your stories and pics everyone :tongue:

 

[Vicki100]

Love this post, although has brought a few tears to my eyes!! Keep posting your stories and pics everyone :tongue:

BUMP!

Agree with cobmum, c'mon keep posting! :tongue: