End Of October 2009
Right Here we go!! Starting a little bit before 2010 but never the less!!
Okay! So, Its a saturday night and even before the horse came into my life I have a non existant social life! OH is on a "lads night out" with work, so, sat with a can of woodpecker and the reliable old Facebook I stumble across an old (for lack of a better word) "friend" i know from collage! (truth be told she did my head in and was one of those people who knew an awful lot of nothing about everything!) who was advertising one of her ponys she was loaning off a gypsy for loan! 12hh coloured mare, 6 years old, childs first pony, goes on and off the lead rein, very nicely marked, novice could do and so on and so forth!!
In my equine starved mind (i gave up riding a year before after a very poorly pony went to live at a retirement home as i could no longer care for her due to work and money issues and illness and did not want her being passed from pillar to post as she was very dear to me!) I volounteered my younger cousin who is currently having rideing lessons as it was something easy i could "ease" myself back into the horsey world with, i could supervise her with the pony and get back into the ground work (im 5"2 and weighing 13 stone ... 12hh pony i would squash ...!)
All went well with the initial viewing and Sophie (cousin!) loved Flash! fantastic! all is well! Due to unforseen circumstances a week later she couldnt continue with the loan and i end up with this bloody pony which i cant do anything with! hmmmph!
So one day Im mooching down the field trying to catch pony, who was happier eating and did not want to come in and be long reined, and looking at all the other horses (pony was one in a "herd" of 6 all owned by above mentioned gypsy). So theres a mare with a foal at foot, not very practical, an unhandled yearling who made a point of being at the opposite end of the field from you so didnt have to be caught, and standing at about 11 hands, again not practical, a 13.2 cobby pony! practical but claimed by said "freind" and the black cob, about 15 hands, pretty but had a right face on it and a set of back legs! unbroken, in foal and needed a lot of work with trust issues! HMMM
So after a quick phone call to gypsy to assess what, it had done and the answer .... drive to appelby once a year and pop foals once a year ...
I had a word with the friend and gave flash back ... well I couldnt afford them both and she had a que of people who wanted a naughty little pony to play with, I brought the fat black cob in, and after a bag (or 6) of carrots, a good groom and discovery of her itchy spots a beautiful friendship is born!