A Veterans Celebration February 2017

Localrider Magazine

SHOWING • PONY CLUB • ENDURANCE • FANCY DRESS www.localrider.co.uk

A Veteran Celebration!

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February 2017

Show Reports & News

February 2017 • VOLUME XVII NUMBER 1

OF READERS’ VETERANS & THEIR STORIES

Show Reports: www.localrider.co.uk

• Golden Cross • Eaglesfield • Manhood Riding Club Plus lots more…

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VETERANS FEATURE Roo Fifteen-year-old Roo is proving the perfect schoolmaster for 13-year-old Nicola Damms. Nicola’s mother Anne, bought the KPWN gelding for her daughter last year, as with very long legs she was better suited to a horse than a pony.

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years old

Pic by Simon Greenewood

Versatile Roo can turn his hoof to anything, but with Nicola’s heart firmly in the dressage arena they quickly qualified for the Dengie Pony Club Regionals in both Novice and Intermediate. They were also the Overall Junior Champion at Fawkham & District Riding Club.

The combination have lots of goals for 2017 starting with the Dengie Regionals in March. Nicola would like to qualify for the Summer Regionals at Novice, in addition to aiming for the Petplans at Elementary level, as well as trying out for the Pony Club Teams.

Veterans celebrated

We have been over-whelmed by all the wonderful veteran stories we have received.

Ranging from 15 to 32 years of age, they have all led such different yet wonderful lives.

It is lovely to read that most of the veteran horses and ponies featured are still enjoying an active live and that a few are passing on their wisdom to younger and less experienced riders. We think they are all stars and hope you agree…

21

years old

Beau Gueste Twenty-one-year Beau Gueste is thoroughly enjoying his active and varied life with Danielle Sales. He had spent six years in the field, after his old owner stopped riding him, before Danielle took him on almost two years ago.

Danielle said: “I took Beau Gueste on after returning my loan pony the summer before last. His last owner had retired him to a field at least six years before when they stopped riding him, but he needed someone to give him some love so I took him on trial. He was brilliant from the start, happily plodding around when I had my trial ride and perfect to bathe, clip and shoe.

I uploaded his photo onto a cob Facebook page a few months later and a lady contacted me on there and it turned out she was his first owner when he was a foal. She loved him so much that she travelled over six hours to come and see him and I took some photos of her and her daughter with him again.

Despite a hock injury that happened just after I took him on he has come on leaps and bounds, out galloping horses at least eight years his junior. We enjoy hacking and Beau has taught me how to jump again, he especially loves cross country jumps.

Beau went to his first local show with me last summer and won the in-hand veteran and in-hand unregistered Mountain and Moorland, before coming Reserve In-Hand Champion. I cannot wait to see what this year brings for us.”

20

years old

Above: Alice and Boris jumping at Keysoe Right: Alice and Boris in the evening performance at the Veteran Horse Champs

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Twenty-year-old Boris really has been Alice Griffith’s horse of a lifetime. She has owned the gorgeous grey for ten years and during that time they have done everything together from dressage to team chasing.

Alice said: “I got him when he was 10-years-old. He was my first horse and I really had little knowledge of horses (but luckily he was kept at my college yard). He taught me to canter and jump properly. We have done everything from British Dressage (Petplan area finals), team chasing, and we even went to the Veteran Horse Champs, where we went through to the evening performance.

Boris proved the ultimate all-rounder and Alice said he taught her everything and along the way they have made lots of special memories, including: Being placed at the U25s British Dressage Champs at Sheepgate, qualifying and competing at area Petplan finals, as well as being mentioned in Horse and Hound for holding the highest score of the day at a British dressage venue. The pair have been team chasing and finished second from 40 starters in an 80cm one-day-event. They have been placed at Equifest, had many British Dressage wins and had great success in Working Hunter classes too.

Alice was hoping to compete in some British Eventing competitions during 2017, but sadly due to an old injury flaring up, Boris has taken a well-deserved early retirement.

Picture by Hoof Prints

Boris

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VETERANS FEATURE Berni Sarah Friend bought Berni, her first horse, 13 years ago and over that time he has proved to be an amazing first horse, as well as a huge character, who has gained quite a fan club.

Sarah said: “Thirteen years ago I was having riding lessons with Alex Hudson (an old school friend) and had taken the BHS stage 1 and Horse owners course stage 1 to improve my knowledge, but with no intention at the time of buying anything. Then, I approached years old Alex one day and said I was interested in getting my own horse, and she replied that the perfect one for me had just arrived. How right she was. He was in a stall, already lying down, chilling out, and I knew he would be great, so on 17th March 1998 I purchased Berni. He had hardly been ridden and when I got on him it felt like sitting in a big u-bend as there was little muscle there.

I have always had him on full livery as I do shift work and would find it difficult to be there regularly, but I do help muck him (and others) out if I’m around as I feel It’s a big part of owning a horse. To start with I hacked him out (he was so scared of puddles to begin with that he would drag me through hedges to avoid them) and had lessons on him. I then purchased a little lorry and went on a lot of sponsored rides and a couple of local shows doing a mixture of showing and jumping. We did a few TRECs, including one at Rye that was a two-day-event, which we won. I also joined Denne Hill cross country and went there a number of times. I took part in most activities at Alex’s yard, which included dressage, adult summer camps and lessons.

When Alex’s closed he moved to Hawkinge where the hacking was fantastic, so no need for a lorry for sponsored rides anymore. I could also ride round to Limes Farm where they did dressage and jumping. I got him boxed to my home (Lympne) one day, and I have photos of him eating the front lawn. All the neighbours came out and loved him, he got so many treats. I then hacked him back to his stable.”

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On safari Sarah continued: “One of the hacks we did from there went down past Port Lympne zoo as there is a bridleway through there, and he saw elephants, ostriches, rhinos, water buffalo and giraffes, all of which he took in his stride. The only animal he was scared of, was the zebras!

A few years ago we moved to my friend Amy Knibbs’ yard at Bigberry Farm, Chartham Hatch.

Amy’s first horse was kept next to Berni at Alex’s so I always kept in touch with her. Since he has been there he has been very well looked after and is popular with everyone.

There is a cross-country course at Bigberry and as soon as it is open, we are always hacking round it. Berni loves jumping and even has a favourite jump that he always heads straight for, so you always have to remember to divert him otherwise he will jump it.

Berni is always making us laugh. One day I had dismounted to stick some arrows on the crosscountry course, when I looked round he had gone! I phoned Amy in the yard and she said he was by his stable looking very sheepish.

I have always said he will be my one and only horse as I don’t think any other could match him, and I would always compare them to him.”

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years old

Brynera Elins Last Based on the Isle of Wight, Jennifer Attrill has owned her 18-year-old Hanoverian x Welsh Section D gelding Brynera Elins Last aka Humphrey since April 2010.

Jennifer said: “Last year we had an amazing season showing taking many Championships and Supremes, finishing Reserve Champion in both the veteran and part bred ridden class at the Sunshine Tour at Hickstead. Humphrey also turns his hoof to jumping and dressage, and when not our competing he enjoys hacking around the countryside on the Isle of Wight.

Joe

28

years old

It was a chance encounter that introduced Juliette Hammond to her wonderful veteran, Joe. The 28-year-old has an enormous healing heart Joe during a and having restored TLC session Juliette’s health, he is now giving a little TLC, just where it is needed through Pony Therapy, Learning and Confidence.

Juliette said: “I came back late into riding (42) and although I had ridden, I had never so much as groomed a horse as a child. After a chance meeting with a stranger whilst walking my dog (at the time I was on long term sick leave and only allowed to walk for 20 minutes), I was introduced to Joe, one of the lady’s six horses.

Joe became very special to me and I began to share him. Needless to say, my health got better and because of him I was able to return to work and normality. After two years of sharing him, my husband bought him as a surprise Christmas Present in 2012.

(My husband presented Joe to me at 7am on Christmas morning, dressed up in bows and ribbon. He had walked him from the livery yard to our front door in wind and rain). For the following two years he continued to teach me so much, both in and out of the saddle.

Sadly, after a routine health check I was told he had a fast onset heart murmur and couldn’t be ridden anymore. I was absolutely devastated. He was 25 at the time and his health in every other way was that of a 12-15-year-old.

He retired to his field, living with my other horses, which had arrived since Joe and resided as boss over his herd. But I knew he was meant to do more. So, in 2016 after 10 years working in schools, I left my job as a special needs teacher to begin a new adventure with Joe. Pony TLC was born, TLC standing for Therapy, Learning and Confidence.

I knew I had to share my experience of recovery from poor health with Joe’s help with others and so far, Joe and the concept has gone above and beyond my expectations.

Joe has a number of visitors, all of whom love him and have grown in confidence through the experience. One of Joe’s visitors is a young man of 20 with Downs syndrome.

He visits him every week and loves him like his own. He is also visited by a boy with severe autism and anger issues, as well as various other youngsters whose lives he brightens, as he allows them to brush and plait, hug, cuddle and talk to him. He listens and he hugs them back.

He really is at the age of 28, the most amazing, giving and beautiful pony in the world.”

Riders based on the Isle of Wight are used to travelling to shows on the mainland and Jennifer plans to come over at least once a month this year, with the goal of qualifying Humphrey for the SSADL finals at Olympia.

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