Blog 27 – “Ophelia”
One of the many criteria in being accepted for training with
P.K. was that applicants should have a main horse and at least one reserve
horse. The course would be intensive,
with three x 4 day sections per year and the expectation of “homework”, the
evidence for which, rightly, needed to be shown at each subsequent section. At the time of application to The School of
Légèreté I had just the one (large) horse, Mac. However Noni had a horse Ophelia “Filly”, a 12 year old
14.3hh Arab x Connemara.
Filly |
I had known
Filly since she was about 4, firstly in the freelance years and her
then-owner (Anna) brought her on numerous courses when we opened at Ashen
E.C.
I loved the little mare, full of
spunk, very sensitive and well ridden by Anna.
I knew she was challenging to ride but most especially to manage on the
yard, partly because I could see that she was and partly because Anna (who
fortunately lived locally) would arrive just before her lesson, drive Filly
straight home afterwards, then return to watch other lessons and join in the
workshops rather than leave her at Ashen E.C where she feared she might disgrace
herself!
Anna and her husband had plans to emigrate, originally
with their dogs and Filly. Then a
daughter made her wonderful but surprising arrival, followed 10 months later by
the equally wonderful and surprising arrival of daughter number two! This delayed their move and meant that they
had to change their priorities and made the tough decision that they could not
take Filly with them after all.
Noni and Fred |
Anna had enjoyed watching the progression in Noni’s riding
over the years, firstly with a gem of a school-master loaned to us in his 30’s
“Fred”, then a series of different project ponies on livery or loan and
ultimately in us buying and very young, inexpensive, remedial 13.3hh Connemara
pony “Smokey”.
Noni in a Shetland Grand National |
Noni and Smokey |
Noni took Smokey from
being a very nervous pony on to become a Pony Club Teams pony and they had a
huge amount of fun and they learned a lot from one another.
Anna was concerned that Filly’s “issues” would mean it
would be difficult to home her responsibly and she asked if we wanted to have her
for Noni. We discussed it at length and
wanted the best for Filly, but Noni and Smokey were having an amazing time and
she probably had another year, or more like two before she would have out-grown
him physically. However a super home
came his way and Noni made the very tough and very mature decision to let him
go and to accept Filly in to our lives.
Filly (aka “The Purple Princess”) turned our lives, the
life of Mac and the whole yard upside-down.
She was, and remains to this day the most wonderfully demanding little
horse that I have ever had the privilege to know.
Noni loved and rode her well but perhaps they are very too
much alike, both are wonderful but lack a “dimmer switch” they only how to express
themselves loud and clear, and they never quite shared the bond that Noni had
had with Smokey. Noni is very bright and
conscientious and puts 100% of herself into anything important to her. She always took sole-responsibility for the
care of her ponies and Filly.
She had
missed a lot of primary school and was frequently bed-ridden as a result in
cluster headaches when she was 10, she had brain scans and neurological tests
and after a few years and with the help of numerous bodyworkers she fought her
way back to good health and was a high achiever at secondary school.
Noni as "Alice" in her final year at Primary School |
Noni and her band |
I am often asked whether I am disappointed that she gave up horses, given that she was so talented. But I’m not, I could not be more proud of my daughter and choices she has made, our children our not “ours” or us, but I can’t help thinking that one day, when the time is right for her maybe she will want to ride again…
Next time "Everything happens for a Reason" published 11th May.
For those searching online for more “instructional”
resources than offered in these blogs please make use of my video downloads
www.ashenec.co.uk
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