Hello ,
Our lovely Mother passed away last Friday. I’m not looking for sympathy, she’d had what the old school called ‘a good innings’. She’d got to ninety-four which she said herself was ‘ridiculous!'. She actually witnessed (parts of) the Battle of Britain and had used air raid shelters as a child – no wonder she wasn’t fazed by much in later life.
The family will remember her for many good things and for me it was knowing she was the one who said ‘Kelly should have a pony’ when I was about eleven stands out; especially because she didn’t get the whole pony thing though fiercely loved our smaller animals.
It was left to the local riding school teacher to find a pony for me. He arrived: a grey, 13hh, 6 years old, called Seamus and I could have him at home for the long summer holidays. Seamus was difficult to catch, he bolted with me, he wouldn’t go in the trailer, he ran out at jumps or knocked them down. I loved him with all my heart.
I was reminiscing with the family about Pie the other day. He was pretty much like that at the start. When was the moment it all changed – like it did for Seamus?
It would be ideal if I could give you a link now to say ‘Click here and all your troubles will be over’ and we can certainly help keep you on the right lines. But trying to analyse how you go from many misunderstandings to a deep bond; I'd say it feels like it happens on a particular day or overnight, but probably can be explained by a deep interest in getting things right coupled with kindness and consistency. What I’ve observed in my case and many others, the shorthand for this is ‘Love’. And also it’s not just ‘One Thing’.
Seamus went on to become the best pony in Lambourn. When I’d grown out of him he went to our friend Debbie Radbourne who then went on to become a super rider/horsewoman and has recently returned from working in America for many years.
