When we drove up the dusty, bumpy track to Little Hidden Farm for my first riding lesson, I gleefully pretended to jump. I was 6 years old and couldn't wait to get started.
I spent my childhood years playing 'cross country' in the garden, over wheelbarrows, rabbit hutches and various other things. I spent hours playing eventing computer games and watching videos of Badminton.
When I was 12 and finally about to get my own horse, I wanted an eventer. Willow, a 15.1hh connemara x thoroughbred wasn't exactly what I had in mind as I spent months avoiding being bucked off and teaching her to school in an outline. I got the chance to event her over the next 7 years, but sparingly and relatively unsuccessful as we would have a nice dressage, a decent show-jumping then unfailingly her nerves would fail cross-country and I would invariably find myself sprawling in a ditch or perched upon a roll-top.
My eventing dreams took an even further step back when, a few years later, a little welsh cob cross hackney joined my team. Lacey was talented - but it came at a price. Buying her was followed with years of trying to understand why she would jump so well one minute, then be standing vertical on her back legs the next. We did manage a couple of events - despite a dismal dressage (she thought it was far too exciting), she was solid as a rock in the jumping phases and finished her dressage score both times, so we were placed 6th and 3rd respectively.
Then her behaviour spiralled downwards and eventually we found she had terrible muscle problems from an old injury. Time off and treatment didn't solve our problems so we sent her to be reschooled in natural horsemanship ways.
Meanwhile, we had decided Willow clearly didn't enjoy jumping in the ring much, so i showed her very successfully for a few years, coming back with shining rosettes and glittering silverware most of the time. Winters were spent blissfully hunting, as despite getting eliminated more often than not in the ring, she jumped anything out hunting and was purely fantastic.
Sadly, in the summer of 2010 she was diagnosed with navicular and we semi-retired jer, just hacking occasionally and the odd show class to keep her content. Lacey came back somewhat reformed, but still not entirely right. Eventually we sent her back to the vet who found her action was causing navicular bruising, so she needed 6 weeks box rest and remedial shoeing. This abolished my summer plans of riding from John O'groats to lands end in aid of the Brooke.
By now, an eventing career was far out of my mind and I was enrolled to start a health psychology course in Wales in September. Then we got Squirrel on loan.
This 13 year old 16.1hh bay one-eyed gelding turned my life around. We managed to find a horse with a decent BE record, bsja winnings, and a super super kind attitude on loan. We have now competed in 4 events, 2 85cm, 1 90cm and 1m. He placed in the first 3 and won the last. Nothing phases him, and I am learning so much.
He has helped me realised what I want from life - no regrets. He has the ability to teach me so much and i'm grasping it with open arms by scraping uni and finding working pupil place. After todays success, we are affiliating him. At the end of the season, i will find myself a working pupil place to learn how to live my dream.
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