I've just found my way back to NR again. I've dug out my old original threads and realised its over 2 years!
These were my original threads.
Hello thread
Sunny Sunday thread
So whats changed in 2 years?
My darling Tara Bear passed away on Christmas Day. Completely unexpected and a total shock. My heart was broken and shot to pieces. My soul horse, there will be never another like her. She knew me, she understood me. I couldn't even begin to explain what she meant to me and what we spoke about and what I confided in her. She saw me, and she loved me and I worshipped the ground she walked on. She was an old soul, with wisdom beyond this lifetime. She was my teacher and my guide. She cared for me, she loved me, she even defended me on ocassion. With Tara I was safe, nothing could hurt me. She would never allow that to happen. We had fun and when it was just me and Tara together, time just stopped for those moments. It was just her and me. Tara chose to pass over the Rainbow Bridge to the Summerlands in her own indomitable and stubborn way; in a way that meant I would never have to make that choice for her myself, at a time that suited her, on a day that I would never forget the date of, with her precious boys by her side guarding her and in the most inconvienent place possible. Tara was more than a horse, she was wise, she was all knowing, she was funny, she was stubborn, she was loving and affectionate, she was my best friend, she was my soul mate, she was my heart.
Pops, the daft old codger is still with us. He's more or less blind now (when it suits!) and is completely retired. He spends his days mooching about, playing with his treat balls, sunbathing, and swearing at Dudley the foal - if he was a human, he would be the grumpy old neighbour who refused to throw the ball back over the fence!
Little Millie moved on to a friends friend. She went to be a spoilt princess with her daughter and is doing brilliantly there.
Big Mac Daddy joined us a year and half ago, he is 15 years old and he came as a riding horse, but within a few weeks of arriving it was blatently obvious that the poor lad wasn't right. Investigations revealed severe navicular, and after I tracked down the original person on his passport I found out that he'd been retired 5 years previously to him being sold to me. After extensive therapy, rehabiliation etc which hadn't worked, Mac's first passported owner had retired him a horse retirement home, which is where the original person thought he still was. For 5 years he'd been sold on, drugged up and worked - and because Mac has the temperament of a saint he'd just got on with doing his job, despite the pain he was in. He is obviously fully retired now and chills with his old buddy Pops. Mac does still have a job to do as he is a fantastic equine socialiser for the dogs as our border collie rescue. He takes his job very importantly and is a total star. He is also an absolute big softie and adores 'little ones' - whether they have 4 legs or 2. He adores Dudley the foal and lets him get away with murder!
Which brings me to Dudley the Dastardly! Dudley will be a year at the end of May. He came to us at a week old, after being advertised on a free ads website as an ophan. We tried to locate a foster mum for him with the help of the National Foaling Bank, however there was no foster mums small enough for him to be found. So it was sleepless nights and lots of work, but he is very much worth it all. Dudley is an absolute horror - he is cheeky and full of mischief and mayhem. Once he was big enough, Doughnut our Shetland pony (who is now on loan with a friend nannying her mare who suffers with separation anxiety) took him under her wing to teach him horsey etiquette and his manners. Dudley's best friends are Jake & Ellwood, our two handrear sheep. They are inseperable. Dudley also adores his 'Uncle Mac' and Mac is taking over from where Doughnut left off, although he does let Dudders get away with much more than Doughnut did.
Finally we have my new arrival. After I lost Tara, I had no riding horse, and the field wasn't the same without a big chestnut mare ruling the roost.
A few weeks ago, I found Summer. She is a big, beautiful Comtois mare.
She has the patience of a Saint and the heart to go with it. I truely believe she was sent to heal my broken heart and I absolutely adore her. I love all my boys to bits, but this is such a different relationship already.
I'm still a bit of a nervous nellie when it comes to riding, but I love riding western. Summer has already had the western tack on and taken to it straight away - which is just as well really as finding a english saddle to fit her was becoming interesting!! Just finding a girth was more challenging than winning the lottery!! Thankfully with her table top back, the western saddle is perfect and the cinching/girth suits her ample belly! She hasn't done much for a while, so is getting back into work here and is on a diet! We both are! I'm looking forward to starting my western trail lessons again at home, now I have Summer and I would particuarly like to try and find some friends in our area for meeting up and having some nice quiet hacks out.
Anyyyhooo, that looks really long, so if you've reached here, thank you for sticking with me and I'll shut up now! :tongue:
Some more pics
Sleeping horses
These were my original threads.
Hello thread
Sunny Sunday thread
So whats changed in 2 years?
My darling Tara Bear passed away on Christmas Day. Completely unexpected and a total shock. My heart was broken and shot to pieces. My soul horse, there will be never another like her. She knew me, she understood me. I couldn't even begin to explain what she meant to me and what we spoke about and what I confided in her. She saw me, and she loved me and I worshipped the ground she walked on. She was an old soul, with wisdom beyond this lifetime. She was my teacher and my guide. She cared for me, she loved me, she even defended me on ocassion. With Tara I was safe, nothing could hurt me. She would never allow that to happen. We had fun and when it was just me and Tara together, time just stopped for those moments. It was just her and me. Tara chose to pass over the Rainbow Bridge to the Summerlands in her own indomitable and stubborn way; in a way that meant I would never have to make that choice for her myself, at a time that suited her, on a day that I would never forget the date of, with her precious boys by her side guarding her and in the most inconvienent place possible. Tara was more than a horse, she was wise, she was all knowing, she was funny, she was stubborn, she was loving and affectionate, she was my best friend, she was my soul mate, she was my heart.
Pops, the daft old codger is still with us. He's more or less blind now (when it suits!) and is completely retired. He spends his days mooching about, playing with his treat balls, sunbathing, and swearing at Dudley the foal - if he was a human, he would be the grumpy old neighbour who refused to throw the ball back over the fence!
Little Millie moved on to a friends friend. She went to be a spoilt princess with her daughter and is doing brilliantly there.
Big Mac Daddy joined us a year and half ago, he is 15 years old and he came as a riding horse, but within a few weeks of arriving it was blatently obvious that the poor lad wasn't right. Investigations revealed severe navicular, and after I tracked down the original person on his passport I found out that he'd been retired 5 years previously to him being sold to me. After extensive therapy, rehabiliation etc which hadn't worked, Mac's first passported owner had retired him a horse retirement home, which is where the original person thought he still was. For 5 years he'd been sold on, drugged up and worked - and because Mac has the temperament of a saint he'd just got on with doing his job, despite the pain he was in. He is obviously fully retired now and chills with his old buddy Pops. Mac does still have a job to do as he is a fantastic equine socialiser for the dogs as our border collie rescue. He takes his job very importantly and is a total star. He is also an absolute big softie and adores 'little ones' - whether they have 4 legs or 2. He adores Dudley the foal and lets him get away with murder!
Which brings me to Dudley the Dastardly! Dudley will be a year at the end of May. He came to us at a week old, after being advertised on a free ads website as an ophan. We tried to locate a foster mum for him with the help of the National Foaling Bank, however there was no foster mums small enough for him to be found. So it was sleepless nights and lots of work, but he is very much worth it all. Dudley is an absolute horror - he is cheeky and full of mischief and mayhem. Once he was big enough, Doughnut our Shetland pony (who is now on loan with a friend nannying her mare who suffers with separation anxiety) took him under her wing to teach him horsey etiquette and his manners. Dudley's best friends are Jake & Ellwood, our two handrear sheep. They are inseperable. Dudley also adores his 'Uncle Mac' and Mac is taking over from where Doughnut left off, although he does let Dudders get away with much more than Doughnut did.
Finally we have my new arrival. After I lost Tara, I had no riding horse, and the field wasn't the same without a big chestnut mare ruling the roost.
A few weeks ago, I found Summer. She is a big, beautiful Comtois mare.
She has the patience of a Saint and the heart to go with it. I truely believe she was sent to heal my broken heart and I absolutely adore her. I love all my boys to bits, but this is such a different relationship already.
I'm still a bit of a nervous nellie when it comes to riding, but I love riding western. Summer has already had the western tack on and taken to it straight away - which is just as well really as finding a english saddle to fit her was becoming interesting!! Just finding a girth was more challenging than winning the lottery!! Thankfully with her table top back, the western saddle is perfect and the cinching/girth suits her ample belly! She hasn't done much for a while, so is getting back into work here and is on a diet! We both are! I'm looking forward to starting my western trail lessons again at home, now I have Summer and I would particuarly like to try and find some friends in our area for meeting up and having some nice quiet hacks out.
Anyyyhooo, that looks really long, so if you've reached here, thank you for sticking with me and I'll shut up now! :tongue:
Some more pics
Sleeping horses
