Dear Foxy,
I'm sorry it's taken so long to write, I'm sure you're having a whale of a time where you are - with all the friends you'd lost along the way.
I first met you on a very cold evening when I was only 5. The lovely lady at the stable showed me you, but I could only see your head coz I was so wee. You looked at me and laughed! I couldn't be scared of you after that.
I wasn't a very healthy kid, but being round horses helped. I fell in love with you very quickly - well who wouldn't! You were my favorite horse at the stables, and even if I rode and groomed other horses it was you I spent the most time with.
I knew you weren't the youngest, in fact you were pretty old! You knew all the tricks. I remember you kicking my bum while I was picking out one of your back hooves, how did you manage that!?!
Just before my 7th birthday my mum asked me what I wanted, she shouldn't have had to ask really, all I wanted was you! Coz I really wasn't well she wanted to get me what I wanted but you were on loan to the school. She took me to see a really pretty mare, but she was WAY too advanced for me. My mum got speaking to the woman later, explained that the mare was too much horse for me and was speaking about my riding level etc. The woman said that she had another horse she was thinking about selling.
Roll on to my birthday, I go through to the kitchen (I remember this like it was yesterday, not 21 years ago!) and mum tells me that I now own you! I couldn't believe it, I was only 7 but I knew that was totally amazing! You were still on working livery but now you were mine!
You were the safest ride, but not totally predictable! Do you remember the time you got bored walking back from a group hack and decided to gallop home - leaving me at a corner you bad pony! (I forgave you though, once I stopped laughing!)
As the years passed, the stables closed, we moved you and K to a field nearer the house. You were right next to grannies (Mum says she wishes we'd moved you there sooner so you could have got to know granda coz he loved horses). You tolerated K, although he was much younger than you, but you gave as good as you got and were always boss of the field. You learned a new trick of dropping items from my grooming kit in the nettles when I was grooming you, very funny(!).
I never told anyone this but one night I couldn't stop crying, my head hurt from crying so much trying to imagine life without you. The truth is that I'd noticed you were looking your age, but no one else noticed so I never said anything. I cried and cried for hours and fell asleep exhausted.
The next morning dad came in from the farm and I heard him tell mum that he'd found you lying in the middle of the field with K standing by your side. I couldn't cry anymore - I just felt numb. I couldn't go to see you to say goodbye, I had done so already in my mind.
I just wanted you to know that I never forgot you, me and K did lots of shows and things (he did grow up eventually!) so I used the stuff you taught me.
Love you forever,
Lyn
I'm sorry it's taken so long to write, I'm sure you're having a whale of a time where you are - with all the friends you'd lost along the way.
I first met you on a very cold evening when I was only 5. The lovely lady at the stable showed me you, but I could only see your head coz I was so wee. You looked at me and laughed! I couldn't be scared of you after that.
I wasn't a very healthy kid, but being round horses helped. I fell in love with you very quickly - well who wouldn't! You were my favorite horse at the stables, and even if I rode and groomed other horses it was you I spent the most time with.
I knew you weren't the youngest, in fact you were pretty old! You knew all the tricks. I remember you kicking my bum while I was picking out one of your back hooves, how did you manage that!?!
Just before my 7th birthday my mum asked me what I wanted, she shouldn't have had to ask really, all I wanted was you! Coz I really wasn't well she wanted to get me what I wanted but you were on loan to the school. She took me to see a really pretty mare, but she was WAY too advanced for me. My mum got speaking to the woman later, explained that the mare was too much horse for me and was speaking about my riding level etc. The woman said that she had another horse she was thinking about selling.
Roll on to my birthday, I go through to the kitchen (I remember this like it was yesterday, not 21 years ago!) and mum tells me that I now own you! I couldn't believe it, I was only 7 but I knew that was totally amazing! You were still on working livery but now you were mine!
You were the safest ride, but not totally predictable! Do you remember the time you got bored walking back from a group hack and decided to gallop home - leaving me at a corner you bad pony! (I forgave you though, once I stopped laughing!)
As the years passed, the stables closed, we moved you and K to a field nearer the house. You were right next to grannies (Mum says she wishes we'd moved you there sooner so you could have got to know granda coz he loved horses). You tolerated K, although he was much younger than you, but you gave as good as you got and were always boss of the field. You learned a new trick of dropping items from my grooming kit in the nettles when I was grooming you, very funny(!).
I never told anyone this but one night I couldn't stop crying, my head hurt from crying so much trying to imagine life without you. The truth is that I'd noticed you were looking your age, but no one else noticed so I never said anything. I cried and cried for hours and fell asleep exhausted.
The next morning dad came in from the farm and I heard him tell mum that he'd found you lying in the middle of the field with K standing by your side. I couldn't cry anymore - I just felt numb. I couldn't go to see you to say goodbye, I had done so already in my mind.
I just wanted you to know that I never forgot you, me and K did lots of shows and things (he did grow up eventually!) so I used the stuff you taught me.
Love you forever,
Lyn