My Dad says I had better update my webpage as things have
changed a lot since it was last done! I now have a horse on loan - Hooray
Henry.He is a 16.3hh part shire, piebald gelding and I have had Henry on full loan since November 2001. He is (in my opinion!) the best horse in the world.
Henry is only 7 years old and is still quite babyish.
Although he knows quite a lot on the flatwork side of things, his jumping is still very
green and it is only recently that he has started to learn to do it again, after a break
of quite some time!
Henry is a very willing gentle giant and although he can get quite strong he is still one of the most enjoyable rides I have ever had. He makes an impressive sight when he goes into canter let alone full gallop
Unfortunately Henry really enjoys a nice wallow in the mud which can be a pain as you can see from the picture he is predominately white and tends to be filthy after only minute in the field! Luckily though he has recently had a trace clip, which means that he can wear a rug and doesn’t tend to come in caked in mud!
Henry has now been out with the Quorn twice and both
times he was on best behaviour and the brakes worked most of the time! His pal Matty
(the other horse alongside Henry in the photos) got a bit excitable first time out but was
better the second time. We jumped some big ditches but left the fences until we have
become a bit more proficient! 
Ever since I was a little girl I have wanted to ride with the hunt and to have done so fullfills a bit of a dream. As you can see from the photos of Henry when he is clean he is extremely handsome, but it does not take long for him to start doing his mud magnet impersonation!!
Henry has also been to his first show.
We went along
primarily so Henry could get
more experience of travelling in a horsebox and to get used to the "atmosphere"
of a show. After having a go at the practice jumps we had a couple of shots in the
clear round contest. The first go was a bit "messy" but the second went
quite well and it was obvious Henry was really enjoying himself (look at the photos!!).
As it was a nice relaxed show we decided to have a go in the 2'3" 
Novice
jumping contest, and when that didn't end in disaster we even went on to have a go in the
2'6" Intermediate. Amazingly we managed a clear round in the 2'6"
Intermediate and went through to the jump off. Got eliminated in the jump off after
a refusal at a fence with a brick wall filler but considering Henry has only been going
over a single plain fence in the school at our stables, to go in and even get round
a complete course (with one combination as well) made me so 
proud of "my big boy".
The icing on the cake was when we got not one but two fifth place rosettes through
the post a couple of days later. I hadn't even bothered to check if we had been
placed!!As I said before - we cannot wait for the summer and local shows to come around
but even more so now!!!
Check back for updates on Henry's progress. Hopefully we may even get some pictures of him wearing a rosette or two!!
Icky is 11 years old and was born on the
3rd of may 1988. His posh name is Haw Idris as he is actually registered with the spotted
pony society. He was given to the sanctuary when his owners tried to sell him and there
were no buyers, Icky was destined for slaughter but redwings stepped in and gave him a new
life and a place to spend the rest of his life. My granny and Grandpa pay for
me to adopt him each year as a birthday present! 
