I've had a rough journey with horses. Some not so great experiences mixed in with amazing memories. I'll start at the very beginning...
It started when we moved to the farm in 2009. We wanted horses, especially me. You can't have a farm without horses right? But to start off with, I needed some riding lessons.
There was a horse available for lease at the stable I rode at, so we agreed to take him. I admit we did kind of rush into things, throughout this journey we were prone to doing that. His name was Arizona, and he was a dun Connemara, about 14hh and 15 years old. He was very headstrong and unpredictable, so not really a suitable first pony. But I loved and spoiled him, and took him to some dressage competitions once I was a more competent rider. And he did well. However, I got bucked off one too many times, so in the end we made the decision to cancel the lease. I was a little heartbroken at the time, but I had entered a phase of being scared stiff of riding after my last fall. So I literally couldn't ride him anyway, even the thought would make me want to cry. This was in 2011.
Above - Arizona (back) with one of the other horses at the stable.
After a short break, I decided I wanted to try again. This was towards the end of 2011. We decided we wanted to give stabling on our own property a try. There was a lady near us who owned a stud farm, and she was wanting to give away one of her ponies to a good home. Again, we immediately accepted, without much thought. You can't turn down a free horse now, can you? So Tuscany came home. She was a 14.2hh Bay mare. We weren't sure of her breed, but we knew she was around 16 years old at the time. All went well for the first few weeks, until she began to show signs of depression. She was almost impossible to ride. You couldn't make her take a few steps before she'd stop and refuse to go forward. If she was having a good day, you could have a decent ride on her, except your legs would get a big workout having to squeeze her on the entire time. Despite all this, I loved her to bits. It was then that we decided to buy a companion for her. Lucky for us, there was another 'freebie' available at that time. A 13hh Chestnut, unsure of breed, who we learned (only after we took him) was almost 30 years old. His name was Crest, and even though he had a sway back and we hadn't thought it through properly, again, we brought him home. Crest was a character, I'll give him that. But he was a nightmare in almost everything else. Not knowing how old he was at the time, I tried to ride him almost everyday. You couldn't put any pressure on the reigns at all without him throwing his head up, and you'd get a bucking canter, which I actually kind of enjoyed, out of him if you squeezed him a little too hard.
Above - Tuscany
Above - Tuscany (right) and Crest (left)
Long story shorter, Crest didn't end up working out for us, and we had to let him go back to his previous owner. Now we needed another companion for Tuscany, so we adopted a grey 13hh mare from a shelter near us. She was about 11 years old, and her name was Pepper Moon. She was a firecracker, full of personality. I think she was the one pony we made the right decision to take. Ok, she wasn't perfect, but it's very difficult or impossible to find a horse who is, especially in our limited price range. She would occasionally stop suddenly in the canter, sending me right over her head if I didn't anticipate her. But other than that she was a darling, and really didn't give us much trouble. However, it was at this time that we started to wonder if we were in way over our heads.
Above - Tuscany and Pepper Moon grazing in our garden.
In 2013, after giving it some time, effort, patience and lots of money, we decided we couldn't do this anymore. Our farm was entirely wrong for horses. We live on a hill, so pretty much all their grazing was on a slope, and we had to bring them into our garden to ride, as it was the only flat area big enough on our whole property. Our farm isn't very large and most of our land is forest. It was very sad to see Tuscany and Pepper Moon go. Even though it had been a bumpy road, I wanted to try harder to make it work. But it wasn't fair to the horses. They needed a home where they would have proper grazing, stabling and care. So that chapter in my life closed...for a while.
A part of me has always wanted to give it another try. Ever since that day we decided to let Tuscany and Pepper Moon go. I forgot about horses for a little while, until December last year. I suddenly felt a burning desire to own a horse again. Even to just ride again. So I started taking lessons at a fabulous stable just 10 minutes from where we live. And they helped me to find a horse, perfectly suited to me this time. Her name is Poise, and she is a 4 year old 16hh Thoroughbred off the track. Liver Chestnut. We adopted her from the same shelter we adopted Pepper Moon from. When I heard how young she was, I was skeptical to go and try her out. But I'm so glad I did in the end. We have such a special connection, and I feel so safe riding her. We signed her up for a training program before I started working with her myself, just to ensure she was safe for me, and properly trained. Now I'm almost ready to start competing, and I can't wait. I must add, we are stabling her at the stable I take lessons at. We weren't about to make the same mistake of thinking our farm is the perfect fit for a horse.
So this story has a happy ending after all. It took lots of lessons, heartbreak and regrets, but I eventually found my dream horse. I still can't believe I did.
Above - Poise at the place we stable her at.
~Hannah
It started when we moved to the farm in 2009. We wanted horses, especially me. You can't have a farm without horses right? But to start off with, I needed some riding lessons.
There was a horse available for lease at the stable I rode at, so we agreed to take him. I admit we did kind of rush into things, throughout this journey we were prone to doing that. His name was Arizona, and he was a dun Connemara, about 14hh and 15 years old. He was very headstrong and unpredictable, so not really a suitable first pony. But I loved and spoiled him, and took him to some dressage competitions once I was a more competent rider. And he did well. However, I got bucked off one too many times, so in the end we made the decision to cancel the lease. I was a little heartbroken at the time, but I had entered a phase of being scared stiff of riding after my last fall. So I literally couldn't ride him anyway, even the thought would make me want to cry. This was in 2011.
Above - Arizona (back) with one of the other horses at the stable.
After a short break, I decided I wanted to try again. This was towards the end of 2011. We decided we wanted to give stabling on our own property a try. There was a lady near us who owned a stud farm, and she was wanting to give away one of her ponies to a good home. Again, we immediately accepted, without much thought. You can't turn down a free horse now, can you? So Tuscany came home. She was a 14.2hh Bay mare. We weren't sure of her breed, but we knew she was around 16 years old at the time. All went well for the first few weeks, until she began to show signs of depression. She was almost impossible to ride. You couldn't make her take a few steps before she'd stop and refuse to go forward. If she was having a good day, you could have a decent ride on her, except your legs would get a big workout having to squeeze her on the entire time. Despite all this, I loved her to bits. It was then that we decided to buy a companion for her. Lucky for us, there was another 'freebie' available at that time. A 13hh Chestnut, unsure of breed, who we learned (only after we took him) was almost 30 years old. His name was Crest, and even though he had a sway back and we hadn't thought it through properly, again, we brought him home. Crest was a character, I'll give him that. But he was a nightmare in almost everything else. Not knowing how old he was at the time, I tried to ride him almost everyday. You couldn't put any pressure on the reigns at all without him throwing his head up, and you'd get a bucking canter, which I actually kind of enjoyed, out of him if you squeezed him a little too hard.
Above - Tuscany
Above - Tuscany (right) and Crest (left)
Long story shorter, Crest didn't end up working out for us, and we had to let him go back to his previous owner. Now we needed another companion for Tuscany, so we adopted a grey 13hh mare from a shelter near us. She was about 11 years old, and her name was Pepper Moon. She was a firecracker, full of personality. I think she was the one pony we made the right decision to take. Ok, she wasn't perfect, but it's very difficult or impossible to find a horse who is, especially in our limited price range. She would occasionally stop suddenly in the canter, sending me right over her head if I didn't anticipate her. But other than that she was a darling, and really didn't give us much trouble. However, it was at this time that we started to wonder if we were in way over our heads.
Above - Tuscany and Pepper Moon grazing in our garden.
In 2013, after giving it some time, effort, patience and lots of money, we decided we couldn't do this anymore. Our farm was entirely wrong for horses. We live on a hill, so pretty much all their grazing was on a slope, and we had to bring them into our garden to ride, as it was the only flat area big enough on our whole property. Our farm isn't very large and most of our land is forest. It was very sad to see Tuscany and Pepper Moon go. Even though it had been a bumpy road, I wanted to try harder to make it work. But it wasn't fair to the horses. They needed a home where they would have proper grazing, stabling and care. So that chapter in my life closed...for a while.
A part of me has always wanted to give it another try. Ever since that day we decided to let Tuscany and Pepper Moon go. I forgot about horses for a little while, until December last year. I suddenly felt a burning desire to own a horse again. Even to just ride again. So I started taking lessons at a fabulous stable just 10 minutes from where we live. And they helped me to find a horse, perfectly suited to me this time. Her name is Poise, and she is a 4 year old 16hh Thoroughbred off the track. Liver Chestnut. We adopted her from the same shelter we adopted Pepper Moon from. When I heard how young she was, I was skeptical to go and try her out. But I'm so glad I did in the end. We have such a special connection, and I feel so safe riding her. We signed her up for a training program before I started working with her myself, just to ensure she was safe for me, and properly trained. Now I'm almost ready to start competing, and I can't wait. I must add, we are stabling her at the stable I take lessons at. We weren't about to make the same mistake of thinking our farm is the perfect fit for a horse.
So this story has a happy ending after all. It took lots of lessons, heartbreak and regrets, but I eventually found my dream horse. I still can't believe I did.
Above - Poise at the place we stable her at.
~Hannah
Last edited:
Our first two were a percheron/qh cross, who had been raised and trained by the DA!e person her whole life..... She was SO stubborn, but MAN did she have a funny personality - but personality wasn't something 8 and 9 y/o greenhorns needed for a first horse.
That first chestnut........ I needs him. 
They are absolutely gorgeous, I love all the photos. 
