EquiTeam members Stacy shares her story from becoming a horse owner as an adult, the endless new experiences and skills she has learned along the way.
Becoming a horse owner
Thirteen years ago I became the horse owner that I’d dreamed of for as long as I could remember. My parents were convinced horses would be a passing phase in the 1980s yet here I am.
The other half of the double act is Fury/Mounthazel Lad, aka the Furry Pony. Breed? A complicated mix of British Appaloosa, Irish sports horse and Gypsy Cob. Neither big and sporty nor small and hairy. More smart car than volvo estate. A serene lawnmower and near 600kg comedian who thinks he needs to keep me on my toes. His middle name is unhelpful.
I found Fury at the yard where I hired horses for the common ridings in the Scottish Borders. I was able to take Fury on a winter loan which then stretched into a summer where Fury was drafted in to be a safe set of hooves when needed but was essentially mine the rest of the time. It broke my heart sharing him so I set a grand plan to make him mine. Thankfully I succeeded.
I found Fury at the yard where I hired horses for the common ridings in the Scottish Borders. I was able to take Fury on a winter loan which then stretched into a summer where Fury was drafted in to be a safe set of hooves when needed but was essentially mine the rest of the time. It broke my heart sharing him so I set a grand plan to make him mine. Thankfully I succeeded.
Fury was very bolshy and bulldozer like when I first started getting to know him. I spent the first few months chasing him around the yard after he escaped as soon as the stable door opened even an inch. We’ve come to a much better understanding now, but he still likes to ignore me and pull the odd great escape.
Our early days were mostly spent hacking with some fun rides and hunter trials. Our adventures really began when we got our own trailer. However, Fury’s first outing was to the Dick Vet after an allergic reaction to Bute, he certainly doesn’t do things by half! He’s now to avoid Bute and NSAIDs. If he needs any pain relief, it is paracetamol – imagine how fun that was, trying to buy enough to give him 20 twice a day during Covid!
A boost from confidence camp
It was my best friend, Anne-Marie who suggested that we go to an Equiteam camp as we both finally had our own ponies. It had only taken over 20 years to get us there! Before camp I was ridiculously nervous and kept worrying that we’d be rubbish, we’d hold everyone back and be out of our depth.
I had also moved yards right before camp.
It’s safe to say I shouldn’t have worried – camp was a total game changer! The combination of the people on the camp and Liz’s ability to read us like a book gave us the most epic three days. Not only did we survive but we smashed it right out of the park. I wish I could have bottled that feeling.
We came away from those three days with a new bravery that I didn’t know I had in me. To embrace doing things that I want to, rather than being just the handy pair to make up numbers for what everyone else wanted to do.
Fury and I have tried our hand at a lot of things – showing, jumping and becoming dressage divas. We also tried side saddle – apparently falling off is rather difficult but my back flip was second to none according to the witnesses and the less said about the stirrup shaped bruise on my bottom the better!
Showing isn’t really our bag, but I was totally taken with the Concours D’Elegance at the Caledonian Showing Champs. The volume of gin consumed was largely to blame but I decided we were going to do that class. Not only did we have to do some showing to qualify but I needed an outfit.
I decided in my wisdom (stupidity?) that I would make my own. This led me down a rabbit hole to a Norwegian riding skirt vlog, the use of high school maths and the sacrifice of an old duvet cover. Who knew there was a real life use for 𝝅r2? We nailed it though – we qualified and I made a Victorian military styled outfit complete with top hat! I should add the duvet cover was replaced by some lush burgundy silk.
I’ve since added a homemade 1887 chocolate brown jacket with a copper skirt.
We still have a bit of a love hate relationship with jumping but I am trying to get us back into the swing of things. We went to a pole clinic last weekend and we both loved it. Fury is 20 now with old man hocks and funky shoes but he lit up at the clinic and has been chirpy as hell since. I think he’s in the perfect fettle to get him back over some jumps again and I’ll definitely be channelling Liz’s wise words and trying not to ride slower than her granny on a casual Sunday hack (true story).
Dressage is still our main focus and I still can’t quite believe we’re doing novice. Truth be told Fury got super cheeky at prelim and was adding his own touches to tests (flying change anyone?) that I decided he needed more to think about. We’ve also taken our first steps into freestyle. Fury however decided on our first outing that he’s terrified of music and spent most of the test bouncing sideways facing weird directions. We still finished at the correct spot at the right time but who knows how we achieved that. It was definitely character building! There will be a next time though!
We’ve certainly had our ups and downs but I know one thing for sure. There will never be a dull day with Fury. He’s tried my patience, given me grey hairs and vet bills but most of all he’s given me more tales and amazing memories than I ever could have imagined.
Equiteam gave us the confidence to get out there and give things a go without worrying about whether we’ll be any good at it or not. There’s something so very special about what camp added to our adventure and I’ll always be grateful for that.
Stacy.
Thank you Stacy for sharing your story.
