Horse Profile: Nell

Nell came to us in January 2008 in an awful state. Rode into the ground and fed little, she had no energy left to show personality. What was worse was that she had come from a knowledgable stables. It was the speed at which she recovered that really told us how neglected she had been. A horse who is hard to keep weight on will stay underweight for months at a time before recovering wheras Nell took only a few weeks. It was obvious that she was a good do-er who had just been run into the ground. 6 weeks into good feeding she started exhibiting more personality. She was headstrong and would walk well ahead of you and it was obvious she was getting bored standing in a field all day so we started to ride her slowly and gently.

A few months later and she was looking very well. We did notice that although still a bit ribby and roach backed, she was shaped very roundly. Our vet confirmed that in the past she had been a broodmare which is why she looks like she does and pees so often. We often joke about how she needs Tena lady!



Summer came and we moved her to Kestal Farm with the others. Lucy came along too and they spent the summer munching on long, lush grass in a field all to themselves. Her condition was fantastic by now; her coat was soft and shiny, her roach back disappeared and her personality really shone. She proved herself to be a wonderfully bombproof and fun ride, although exhibiting a stubborn streak which is well known in Haflingers.


This summer me, Emma and my sister took the horses to a show. Lucy was a veteran to showing, Tralee was a hunter so unfazed by large crowds and Nell was just Nell. It is possible that she was loved once upon a time and she too wore a blue ribbon but for me it felt like the first show. All around the in-hand ring she acted like a bitch, pulling me and standing on me but looking back at these photos, all I can think of is how beautiful she looked. She may have only won a 5th and 3rd but I think she looked wonderfully conditioned and clean.

Nell has a home for the rest of her life with me. We may not know about her past, whether she was ever loved or just used as a foal factory, but as for her future; she is secure and in a home where she will never go unloved.

A quick run down:

• Name: Nell


• Height: 14.2hh


• Gender: Mare


• Breed: Haflinger (x?)


• Colour: Flaxen chestnut pangare


• DOB: 1992
  
• Strength: 4/5


• Stamina: 4/5


• Speed: 4/5


• Riding Comfort: 4/5
  
• Temperament: 3/5
  

Horse Profile: Harriet

Harriet does not belong to us but is owned by a good friend of ours. She is a Shire x Cob and was the first horse I'd ever sat on. In fact it was Harriet who taught me to ride. A 16hh, 6yr old Shire x Cob is probably not most people's first option when their 11 yr old daughter says they want to ride but in our case she was our only choice. In fact Harriet turned out to be a perfect ride; Quiet, gentle and the most bomproof horse you've ever met but also willing and eager to move up a gear.

I learnt everything I could on Harriet and she is a perfect hacking horse. In the school was where I had difficulty. She was a big, strong horse and I was still learning. Although I continued to hack Harriet, I went elsewhere to have lessons. Two years on and I was able to handle Harriet much better and even Emma who started lessons in the same place began riding her. Although she has a naughty side which manifests itself in bucking when on the beach or cantering through a field, Harriet has been a solid and sturdy mount that always has a place in my heart, and now it seems Emma's too.

A quick run down:

• Name: Harriet
• Height: 16.2hh
• Gender: Mare
• Breed: Shire x
• Colour: Black Sabino
• DOB: 1997

• Strength: 5/5
• Stamina: 3/5
• Speed: 4/5
• Riding Comfort: 5/5
• Temperment: 5/5
  

Bloody horses! Bloody Weather!

I could have killed Nell last week. After not being able to ride for 2 weeks thanks to atrocious weather, Tony Marr puts a brand new set of shoes on the mare. A few days later she's thrown one off. Tony shoes well, and even with her hooves she normally keeps them for at least 6 weeks, but somehow managed to pull it off. The hoof was in great condition - it hadn't cracked at all - and it looked like the shoe had just slid off the hoof, it was that clean. Thankfully Tony came out again and replaced it and today I finally managed a short ride 'round the lakes with my friend, her horse and our dogs. The weather has been as unpredictable as ever - wet and windy one day then warm and innocently sunny the next and now it's half term its just Sods law that it will pour down until the day I get back to college. On a tremendously positive note: Sarah's selling her half of Nell to me! The grumpy, bolshy, stubborn old mare will actually be all mine after christmas. Yes so she might not appeal to everyone with her headstrong character but I can't help but love her all the more for it. First things first though; I must buy her a new girth as her current one lost a buckle a few days ago and I went riding with only one buckle on the left today. Probably not a brilliant idea, but I was NOT going to miss another day of riding. If I hadn't been able to use the saddle I would definately got on her bareback. I was that desperate to ride.