Leo- Two Years On.
By Folly
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11th Dec 2009 •
2,833 views
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4 comments
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Hey everyone :)
I've had Leo for two years now, so I thought I'd tell you a bit about how our journey began.
Before I got Leo, we were looking for a little 12.2 pony that I could compete in BSJA (British Show Jumping Association) with. Not really a lazy 14.2hh gelding. I remember buying head collars before i even got a pony and looking in the horses for sale part of Pony Mag every month and circling the ones that I wanted! None of them were at all like Leo!
One day, my mum had seen a poster up in the local post office about a second hand tack sale at a livery yard close to where we live. I was wondering why we would need to go up as I didn't even have a pony, but I went up anyway, just incase...
And thats when I first met Sue, the owner of the yard. She spoke to mum for a little while and said that I could help out at the stables, I was chuffed to bits. She showed us around the stables and mum asked if she knew anyone with any ponies for sale. Sue shook her head but then said, "But, a lady who loans one of my horses has gone to Holland to buy a Friesian, and won't want him on loan once her new horse has arrived." We were standing outside Leo's field whilst she said this then she walked over to the gate and called Leo and Guinness. Leo came trotting up to the gate, ears pricked up and gave a little whinnie. I instantly fell in love with him. "This is Leo" said Sue. "Very handsome little chap, but when we got him he was a right mess. He was neglected and abused before he was transported here from Ireland. He's still quite scared of schooling and lunging whips, but he's lovely once you get to know him."
Even though mum said not to as it was unlikley, I got really exited. I even remember the day: 27th of October 2007!!!
I started helping out at the stables for a couple of hours at first, then after about two days I couldn't be dragged away from it. Even though I couldn't ride a horse there and even though I watched all the other girls mount onto their ponies, I still loved every minute of the mucking out, filling haynets and washing dirty feed buckets in the middle of November.
On the 8th of December, that year, mum got a phone call from Sue. Mum told me to get ready to go up to the stables, so I did. When I got there mum and Sue looked rather suspicious. Mum had a huge grin on her ace, I was wandering what she was up to. Mum and Sue led me up to the common room where Sue had a Loan Agreement thingy. :D All I can remember her saying is "congratulations, Leo's now yours!" I was sooo exited. I gave mum a huge hug and started jumping around the place. (I was only 10! haha) That night I gave dad a huge hug. I had tears in my eyes because I was so happy. I couldn't quite belive that I had my own pony on loan.
At first riding Leo was a real struggle. I couldn't get him to do much at all. I couldn't even get him into trot without help! But I soon manged to get him to do what I wanted, and before I knew it, that summer, we were flying around showjumping and cross-country courses. I even managed to make him not scared of whips through Parelli dvds that sue had let me borrow.
But along with that came bad news. The stable manager who had come in that Febuary had fallen out with Sue. At first the stable manager seemed really nice. But then she started vandlising and stealing things. we never actually had any proof of what she did so all we could do is report it to the police eventhough they couldn't actually charge the stable manager.
In the last week of the the best summer I'd ever had, a letter arrived...
It was a letter from Sue that she had sent to all her clients. She was closing down the stables. I was so upset. I couldn't belive that the stable manager could've done such things, I didn't know what would happen to Leo and I felt so sorry for Sue. But the stable manager refused to move of. She did eventually, but it took a while to get her off.
Sue invited my mum and another girls mum to lunch to discuss what was happening to Leo and the other pony. She said that Gordon (the other girl's pony) would go back to his owners but the girl could still ride him on weekends. Then she said to Mum that I could have Leo. As in OWN him. Forever. He was completly mine, for free! Mum tried to offer her money for him but she said "If I ever struggle to afford a an of baked beans, you can have him for nothing. As long as Jess takes good care of him I know she will."
We still meet up with Sue and some freinds we've made along the way. We're at a new stables now. Its great! Only this time, we've got Guinness, Leo's best pal. On the day we took Leo to a new stables we took Guinness with him to look after him. Now he's our too! Leo's come on so much and has made me a better rider. He may be part cob but boy can he jump and he's one of the fastest horses I've ever ridden! I don't know why some people say cobs are slow and can't jump anything higher than two foot. It really annoys me when people say things like that!
So thats the story so far... We're back doing SJ and have now started JumpCross which Leo is best at!
Leo's not just a pet. He's my best friend. |
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Dreamer100
Wow, that is really good. Maybe you can write a book about you Lea and Life. You are very good at writing and put all your feelings into it all! Leo looks really cute in all the pictures.
Wow, that is really good. Maybe you can write a book about you Lea and Life. You are very good at writing and put all your feelings into it all! Leo looks really cute in all the pictures.
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Dec 11, 2009
• 1,821 views
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Folly
Aww, Thanks Dreamer 100 :D That's very kind of you to say that )
Aww, Thanks Dreamer 100 :D That's very kind of you to say that )
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Dec 12, 2009
• 1,830 views
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morgan7
he is an amazing horse and he looks like he loves u very much
he is an amazing horse and he looks like he loves u very much
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Dec 12, 2009
• 1,872 views
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Happy Stables
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Thanks for telling us about you and Leo. You need to keep us posted on how you both do! : )
Thanks for telling us about you and Leo. You need to keep us posted on how you both do! : )
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Dec 12, 2009
• 1,844 views
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More News by Folly
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24th Mar 2010 |
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When I first met Guinness he was sharing a field with my other pony Leo. He was known as the extremely 'vicious' and 'bad tempered' horse who was unrideable and useless. At that point in time Guinness did not belong to me he belon ...
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26th Oct 2009 |
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