|
Against All Odds - The Story of Bronze - Part 2
|
|
|
Last time we left off after the purchase of Cuppi and her foal, Choc.
Naturally, I could not have been more excited about this event, and I demanded to be taken to see the pair at least once a week, since our plot was not yet ready for the new arrivals. The first day we went to visit them, Alfie took us into the office to show us Cuppi’s papers. Choc had no papers, since her owner had died before registering her, but Alfie told us that he was almost certain that her sire was Super Soldier – who also happened to be the sire of Country Cousin’s bay colt.
While studying Cuppi’s papers, my mother saw something that interested her greatly, and suddenly it was her turn to be struck by excitement!
In all those masses of names was one that stood out: "Elevation" – a South African racing hero that she had followed in her childhood. Elevation was the grandsire of Phil’s star racer at the time: Finola.
Naturally, Alfie was very excited to show off his brother’s pride and joy, and my mother was very excited to see "An Elevation horse" – so we were taken to meet Finola.
If she was human, she would not have greeted us with "Welcome". Not even "Step into my office" or something more official. Finola did not want visitors. Her flattened ears and grouchy eyes stated more clearly than any human voice: "Go away."
She was a grumpy and antisocial creature. She was not mean or violent, but she did nip in an attempt to deflect our affections. She was a skinny, highly-strung sort of mare – fresh off the forced end of her racing career, after having her starting stall certificate revoked because she simply refused to load. She was six years old – a long-legged bay with a little star slightly off-center on her forehead.
Grumpy as she was, the lure of the elevation in her was too great for my mother, and she decided to take the mare. Thus, the numbers increased.
At the next visit, we ventured to the stallion paddock. This farm was no high-class racing estate – it was just a farm, with a bunch of racehorses scattered around on it. The stallion paddock was exactly what it’s name suggests: A paddock full of stallions – at least 30 – of all sizes, shapes and colours. How they kept these horses from fighting I have no idea, but at the time I knew too little for it to bother me. I knew so little, in fact, that I ducked under the fence right into the midst of 30 strange stallions.
I wanted a stallion, you see, because I had a few mares now, and I had never owned a male horse – so the idea appealed to me.
The first one to catch my eye was a sweet, friendly Chestnut. He came straight over to me, and lowered his head to sniff and lick at my boot. I was delighted – and even more so when the horse followed me around the paddock. I was certain that he was the one I wanted – then something changed my mind.
Suddenly, from amongst the herd of stallions, one came charging toward me.
He was a huge, bright bay creature – standing at least a hand over any of the others, and double the size of most in bulk. He hardly seemed like a Thoroughbred at all.
Seeing this tank of a horse bearing down on me, I was not scared.
No, this was not bravery, it was pure, unfiltered idiocy. I was young and ignorant, and not for a moment did it occur to me that half a ton of fast-moving bone and muscle could cause some serious damage to a small child.
The stallion did not knock me down, though. He lumbered straight past me, and chased off my Chestnut friend.
At first I was annoyed, but then he turned back to me, and pricked forward his great, goofy ears. The big creature plodded placidly up to me, and gave me a gentle shove with his nose – which knocked me flying.
His giant hooves could have crushed me, but he was as gentle as he was big, and he merely watched with polite interest while I got to my feet – as though wondering why I was lying in the dirt in the first place, and innocently denying that he had anything whatsoever to do with it.
I stood, and considered this gargantuan creature. He was a splendid specimen of a horse, with near flawless conformation – but at the time, I did not see that. I was too young, and far too ignorant to understand such things.
I looked into his gentle brown eyes, and I knew that I had found my horse.
Or rather, I suppose, that he had found me...
That was the first time that I met him. The first time I met Bronze… |
|
|
|
Madeirey
Awesome! Thats so cool. I love your stories Polo!!!
Awesome! Thats so cool. I love your stories Polo!!!
|
Sep 16, 2011
• 6,056 views
|
|
|
|
All That Jazz
Love it! Your stories are always my favorite. xD
Love it! Your stories are always my favorite. xD
|
Sep 16, 2011
• 6,059 views
|
|
|
|
Splodge
Lol, it probably wasnt meant to be funny, but I did laugh xx
Lol, it probably wasnt meant to be funny, but I did laugh xx
|
Sep 17, 2011
• 6,211 views
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sep 17, 2011
• 6,056 views
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sep 18, 2011
• 6,077 views
|
|
|
|
|
FreeRein
loved it! very nice and he is beautifuL!
loved it! very nice and he is beautifuL!
|
Sep 18, 2011
• 6,058 views
|
|
|
|
Stay Untamed
Love this story so far! Can't wait to read the rest!
Love this story so far! Can't wait to read the rest!
|
Sep 18, 2011
• 6,105 views
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sep 18, 2011
• 6,057 views
|
|
|
|
Polo the Weirdo
MOD
So glad you're all enjoying it! :D Keep your eyes peeled for Part 3! :)
So glad you're all enjoying it! :D Keep your eyes peeled for Part 3! :)
|
Sep 19, 2011
• 6,059 views
|
|
|
|
|
More News by Polo the Weirdo
|
|
If you are lucky enough to afford an extremely expensive imported horse, it will spook at its own fart in the quarantine paddock and immediately sustain a career-ending injury. ...
|
|
Welcome to part 2 in our quest of finding the best gadgets and gimmicks that can actually help you to improve your riding! Put your body where it should be, and let your brain figure out how to keep it there. You’ll have that perf ...
|
|
Do you always find yourself riding with toes like a ballerina? Do you stare into your own lap as if the secrets of the universe are stitched into the crotch of your joddies? Do you ride with shoulders that would make the Hunchback ...
|
|
Gadgets often get a poor reputation in the equestrian world due to their misuse on equine athletes often resulting in harmful or abusive conditions. The debate on whether or not gadgets (like side reins, etc.) ought to be used on ...
|
|
The elongated shutdown of racing brings with it many great consequences, many of which are already beginning to show as owners, breeders and trainers alike are forced to begin euthanasia of horses they can no longer afford to keep ...
|
|
With the Covid-19 pandemic sweeping the globe, people the world over are doing exactly what one would expect modern man to do in a time of great crisis. They are binge-watching eccentric Netflix documentaries. The specific documen ...
|
|
With our current global pandemic, many equestrians the world over are suddenly being forced to face a horseless reality as entire nations enter lockdown. It is a miserable and testing time, but equestrians are tough. We’re gonna m ...
|
|
On the first day of lockdown, most of us sat in our homes. Silent, shellshocked, looking through old pictures of our horses and trying to come to terms with the fact that we had to be without them for 3 whole weeks. Worrying about ...
|
|
|
