Category: General Blog

1. When giving up is not an option...

   Posted on 10:05am Monday 6th Aug 2018

   When giving up is not an option...

    

   After losing my beloved rocky, closely followed by poor harry, I admit I was at rock bottom and couldn’t begin to think of having to go through that immense sorrow again, I sold virtually everything and closed the door. Or so I thought.

    

   The door was indeed closed, but every now and again there would be a knock at it, and for a while now I’ve put my hands over my ears and tried my absolute hardest to ignore it till it went away. This had worked for a few months, however although I work with horses daily and absolutely love what I do, I even began riding again, there was a huge part of my life missing. 

    

   My fantastic husband Dean has been an absolute rock and supported me in every way he could possibly think of, trying his best to make sure I was ok, but the truth was, he knew how much I missed my own horses. So we had a chat about the possibility of having another one. Something I wasn’t 100% certain about as I can still today feel the pain of losing them, but once you’ve had horses they are like a disease, they live in your blood and you can push them away but they will always find you!

    

   I didn’t rush into anything, in fact I tried to convince myself it was a very bad idea, we could now go on holidays, enjoy doing pretty much what we wanted, when we wanted with no physical or financial ties, but it was no good, the need was too strong.

    

   I tentatively had a look to see what was for sale, around the 16hh, 10 yr old, mark, but literally nothing appealed to me, so one afternoon while I was working in my shop, I thought “I wonder if Lynwen and Huw had anything, or know of anything”, these wonderful people are the same people who I got rocky from, and although I wasn’t looking for anything young they may have known of something older, so I messaged and waited.

    

   I got a response to say that they didn’t have anything for sale, but did have a colt who they wanted to keep as a breeding stallion later on, but low and behold would let me have him! To say I was stunned was an understatement, this was not what I expected! Then the thought process started: a colt, a yearling, untouched, why would I want to do this again?

    

   What I haven’t yet mentioned is that this young colt is also Rocky’s half brother!! Same mother but by a different dad. The thought process mulled around my head for some time, keeping me awake at night with the what ifs, questioning my own sanity at times, but Dean kept it real for me, not allowing the negative thoughts to eat away at me like they do. 

    

   We arranged to go and see him, all the way to West Wales, we did an overnight stay and made a weekend of it. It was so nice to actually visit Lynwen and Huw, it felt like finally we had met after years of knowing each other through Rocky! 

    

   Lynwen had sent me a couple of pictures and a clip of him moving in the field, but I was adamant this was still going to be a bad idea, until we arrived and I saw him, he was just lovely, feral, but lovely! He’d basically been handled a handful of times and lived with a Shetland colt, apart from that he was a blank canvas.

    

   We said our goodbyes and made the long drive home, the 4.5hrs seemed like a blur as the whole way I was still trying to say no, no we can’t have another, but I think you know what’s coming....

    

   Yesterday 5/8/18, we welcomed Cledlyn Jasper to the family! 

    

   After a couple of months waiting for this moment from when we visited, it’s felt like forever, I never said anything to anyone in fear of it all going wrong. 

    

   Lynwen and Huw transported Jasper down for us, for which I’m eternally grateful, he arrived happy and settled into his new stable straight away, clearly liking Hampshire hay! 

    

   The plan is to take each day step by step, when the times right he can go showing, but a future plan is not being made yet, his “job” will determine itself, if he’s a dressage diva then so be it, if he’s a show horse then that’s fine too, I feel like whatever plans I’ve made before they have blown up in my face, so this time we shall wait and see. 

    

   His pedigree is quite something: 

   

    

   Welcome to the family Jasper!

2. 2017, a year of two halves.....

   Posted on 11:45am Sunday 31st Dec 2017

   2017 A year of two halves….

    

   2017 has been a “game of two haves” to coin a phrase, the first 6 months of 2017 saw an epic battle to get my beloved Rocky right, seeing more of my vet and physio than I did of my husband! Tragically on June 28^th we had to admit defeat and let him pass over rainbow bridge, a day of my life I never forget.  

   

   Following that day, I sold virtually everything I owned equine wise, including my lorry, as I thought that was the end of my horse owning life, but as I was still coaching I could “keep my hand in” and that would be enough for me. This was all well and good for a period of time, but the evenings when I would go to see Rocky were still empty, as were the mornings when I would hand walk him, but I still convinced myself I didn’t want to own a horse again.

   Coaching had reached a new level, my riders were on fire, everyone achieving more than the goals we had set for the first 8 months of 2017, and during the end of the summer holidays I suddenly had the chance to ride some of my client’s horses while they went on holiday, which left me longing for more….

   I managed to hold off the desire to own once again, as my lovely clients were asking me to ride theirs, it seemed a win win situation! But the evenings were still empty..

   Some of my coaching highlights have to be:

   ·         One of my young riders exceling themselves in pony club, and being chosen to represent their club in dressage and jumping, very proud of you!

   ·         One of my very nervous riders who in February would only get on her lovely horse if I held the horse and led her round the school, but with perseverance, tears and tantrums (hers not mine lol) by August she had done her first online dressage competition and started cantering, doesn’t sound much to you and I, but let me tell you this was worth more than a gold medal to this lovely lady. Extremely proud of this achievement.

   ·         Another of my younger riders attending a pole work clinic with an International Dressage Rider and being talent spotted, ending with him asking her if she would ride for him! Not bad for a rider who literally hated Dressage!!

   ·         Seeing every single rider over achieve with their goals, meaning we had to adjust the end goals as we had already met them!

   While my riders were all out doing well I admit to feeling left out! My 2017 goals for Rocky were never going to happen and I was lost, physically and mentally, so my ever patient and caring husband suggested we go on holiday, he though I needed a break, and after some deliberating, we went to France for 8 days. I won’t go into details about that as I wrote a blog about it, click here to read about that.

   This brings me to the end of 2017 and what I hope for in 2018…

   While the trauma of the first 6 months of 2017 will never be forgot, that ad hoc holiday suggestion from Dean turned into a blessing, as on the 15^th November Harry arrived, meaning I have had to purchase most things again!  My mornings and evenings are once again full and although it took my body clock a while to adjust to the ridiculously early starts, I don’t regret a single moment.

   

    

   By the end of 2018 I would like to have Harry working, possibly competing Elementary, obviously this is subject to change depending on the training, but I think Elementary is a worthy goal, and would like to have him registered and competing BD. January will be goal setting time once again for my riders, and reviewing 2017, so they can all improve further and achieve much more.

   2017 certainly threw its challenges at me, and I’m not too proud to say it almost broke me, but with the support of family and clients, or I should say friends, I made it through and have accidentally (!) ended up with the most wonderful horse in Harry, and a new chapter to a new book.

   What are you waiting for, go and set your goals, make them achievable and make them happen, I know I will do my best to with mine!

   

    

   I wish you all a very Happy and Prosperous New Year. x